Son of Sparda
by PhantomWriterShayle
Summary: AU. When ancient demon magic is disguised as a series of murders, a teenaged Dante finds himself wanted by police. He has to clear his name by exposing the real murderers before they target a family he never thought he'd see again. Rated T for language.
1. Prologue

**I've found myself in a writing rut lately so I'm going to change to a new category.**

**Based off of a gaming session at 3 in the morning while on a chocolate and caffine high...I've got to stop with those.**

_**Prologue**_

Smoke curled up to caress the yellowed moon as wicked tongues of flame tasted wood and paint. A blonde woman held a young boy in her arms as she sat with him outside, under a tree. They were well out of the way of any danger.

When the flames started, or how, was a mystery to anyone...other than them. It was obvious to them. Demons. Demons summoned from the abyss of a very real Hell. The boy shivered a bit as some rain started and tightened his grip on the sword in his arms. A katana. Long and in a blue sheath with the golden tassel hanging down to brush his shoulder in an almost calming and protective gesture.

The woman ran her hand through his hair soothingly, half trying to calm him and half trying to get the soot out of his white locks. Although she looked like the perfect picture of calm in the face of her home going up in flames, she was far from it on the inside. Her eldest son was safe in her arms, but her youngest was missing. He had not been with his brother when they fled.

The boy in her arms leaned into her, shaking a little more. She hugged him, a small part of her surprised. Her eldest rarely ever showed such emotions. He took more from his father's side of the family and kept them hidden.

With a small sigh, she took off her red shawl and draped it over his shoulders, wrapping him in it to keep him warm and soothed. It was all she could really do while her husband was away from them. She wasn't all that concerned about the man. He had gone to search for his missing son when he realized the child had not appeared with his twin brother. Even with the flames reaching the upper levels, he had gone back, changing to his hard carapace form.

"Mother?"

She looked down, "Yes sweetheart?"

"I...I can't...He's not here..."

She twitched a bit, remembering what her husband had told her before while they watched two babies play hide-and-seek.

_Nestlings can feel each other's presense. That's how they know where each other are at all times through life._

If he couldn't feel his brother's presence...

A large thing burst from the livingroom window and flew toward them. It was horned with six, insect-like wings. It landed almost gracefully before them, rain drops dripping off of it's body.

Nothing was said but the thing held a sword in it's claws. A long broadsword with a skull as part of the hilt.

The woman's calm facade died instantly, "Rebellion...no..."

The thing's form changed to that of a muscled, white-haired man. His purple vest was soot-covered and his usual well-kept hair was a mess.

Deep sadness was in his eyes, "Milady...I couldn't find him."

The boy clutched his katana even more, staring at the broadsword that was his brother's. The woman stared too, but her tears were hidden by the rain.

**Never done a prologue before...How'd I do?**


	2. Cat & Mouse

**Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry or any of it's characters.**

**Probably a good amount of OOC in the future. I can never get characters fully right...**

**I**

_**Woodland Area Outside City Limits**_

_**13 Years Later**_

A white-haired youth ran through the woods with the grace of a gazelle. He leapt over fallen logs and from rocks; twisted paths in between trees; and left no indication of his presence apart from a blue blur. If one could keep up with his movements, they would see him to be lithe and cat-like. He surged forward with calculated movements and the perfect form of trained power. Hardened training had lead him to this point in his ablilities. Years of pushing himself even beyond the limits his parents had set for him - much to their displeasure.

A shadow gained on him. He growled and made a fast turn into the deeper parts of the woods. He knew the terrian there and had a plan to defeat the enemy pursuing him. It was on his trail and it's demonic powers were reaching out to him.

He smiled as he increased is speed, _You won't catch me_.

The youth wore nothing save black pants and a blue t-shirt he usually adorned during his training sessions. He found, the lack of a coat, shoes, or even socks seemed to increase his concentration and agility.

He jumped onto a nearby boulder and pushed off of it to perform a back flip, using it's leverage to land neatly on the high branches of a tree. The shadow didn't notice and flew forward. He jumped from branch to branch of the trees silently, following his now ex-pursuer. The shadow soon stopped and searched around, realizing it's prey had managed to vanish. The youth perched on a branch behind it, his toes gripping the bark soundlessly, and beheld his foe.

A great, horned being with six insect-like wings. A dark, purple aura seemed to surround it and make wildlife shrink and run in fear. The thing growled slightly and stretched out it's power, searching for it's lost target. As soon as the youth felt the touch of it, he jumped down to land behind it and sweep his leg underneath it. He caught it by surprise successfully. As soon as it lost it's footing he leapt up and put a large amount of his power into a punch. The punch collided with the thing's torso and sent it into the trees beside them. The youth kept his gaurd up with a look of extreme concentration. He knew it wouldn't be downed with such a simple attack.

He made a quick note of his surroundings; forest in front and to the left, the rock face of a small cliff to the right, and a hill leading to the other side of the forest behind.

A smile, _Perfect._

It attacked, leaping forward from the brush at his body. He forced his center of weight down and braced himself for the attack. The thing's claws grabbed onto his arms with a roar. At the same time, he grabbed onto the armour and carapice on it's shoulders and threw himself back with the force of the attack. This allowed him to start a roll down the hill. He gripped onto the thing hard as they rolled. He needed more mometum. They gained speed and when they reached the bottom, he made sure to force himself up from his back. This gave him an extra push to flip them and make the thing come down hard on it's wings. It gave a cry of pain as it did and he forced all is weight to his upper torso, coming down on the thing to pin it while cancelling the roll.

They stared at each other in this pose. The youth's piercing blue eyes glared into the thing's red glowing ones, daring another attack to happen. Both were panting slightly and seemed willing to go on until the other was down for good.

After a moment, the thing relaxed and changed it's shape to that of a man. He wore a monacle with a purple vest, white shirt, and black dress pants. He was smiling, "Well done."

The youth relaxed with a smile and stood up, offering a hand to help the older man up. The man accepted it.

"Your speed has improved without my notice, son."

His smile grew at the praise, "I train everyday, father."

He patted his son on the shoulder, "It may be the devil's pride in me but I'm thankful demons shall fear Vergil Sparda now."

Vergil chuckled, "I could never hope to achieve your power, father."

Sparda waved his hand in a careless manner, "Believe it or not, you have the same power I did at your age. You'll grow stronger with time. Now come. Your mother should have dinner done by now."

The two walked down a path that started at the bottom of the hill. The path lead around the forest and up to a small mansion resting a short distance in front of the trees. The area was a small estate that the Spardas had lived in for only a little over a decade. They had moved there when a fire consumed their old home.

Sparda had the place made quickly and far away from the site of their old home. He had this done for a number of reasons but the main one was pain. The night had been horrible for all of the Sparda family.

Vergil seemed to take it the hardest. He never told his parents what had truly happened that night and he didn't plan on telling them. It was the one time he had truly failed and he never forgave himself for it. He never would. Some part of him knew it fuelled his need to train and the want to be stronger. Strength meant you could protect what's important...

Suddenly, he felt something in the back of his mind. A flare of something. Something he recognized. He stopped and looked around, rigid and focused. It almost felt like...

_No! It...It can't be!_

"Vergil?" Sparda had noticed his son's sudden stop, "Is something wrong?"

Just as fast as it came, the feeling was gone. He hesitated before shaking his head. If his father didn't feel it, it must have been his imagination or some quiet, permanent feeling of want.

A small sigh left him, "No father. Nothing is wrong." He continued on, ignoring the analyzing gaze of his father. Shudders were going through him. He didn't dare to believe it...but he thought he had felt his brother.

**Anyone want more of this?**


	3. Wanted

**The city is just some random dark city somewhere. Somewhere along the lines of DMC3s setting.**

**II**

_**City Streets, During a Storm**_

He ran as fast as he could through the rain. The sirens were still behind him but he was the faster and more agile. He jumped up onto a fire escape and vaulted up it's rusted steps with inhuman speed. He heard some shots fired but none came in contact with him. He was too fast. Even their flashlights couldn't touch him.

A sweep of his eyes gave him the information he needed to make a quick plan. A rooftop leading to an alleyway where he knew a dumpster was just two rooftops away. He'd have to leap over a couple of gaps but he could make it.

The police where gaining, hollering for him to stop. He jumped over the gap, demonstrating a bit of his unnatural nature. He gained distance and made it to the other roof. A small square structure with a door served as a way to get into the lower levels of the building, in addition to cover for escape.

He grinned as he glanced at his pursuers, _You won't catch me_.

He dashed around the structure and dived from the edge of the building. He let his body fall and flip slowly to land on his back in an open dumpster. He waited no more than a few moments, hidden in the trash, before leaping out and continuing the run.

He noticed a cramped alleyway and ducked into it. Only a red flash from his coat could be seen as he twisted and turned through an intricate spiderweb of small streets and alleys. Finally, he entered a residential area. He climbed over a fence and hid behind a brick wall. The sirens faded quickly, keeping away from the residences.

He smirked but the smirk soon faded. He wasn't an outlaw and he had the paperwork to carry the guns in the holsters on his hips...So, why were the cops after him?

The thing was, he didn't know. He didn't even remember what happened before a breakfast of cold pizza. All he knew was he was running from a dead body in someone's apartment before the police caught sight of him.

"What am I going to do?" He growled as he tried to think. He drew attention a lot but not this kind of attention. After all did stand out in a crowd. White hair, unnatural blue eyes, and his pistols; Ebony and Ivory. The amulet around his neck was also strange. Silver with a large red gem. What was strange about it was it's feel. People could almost sense something wrong with it. It made sense. It was a demonic amulet after all.

He sighed and put in under the black shirt he was wearing. It was best to keep it hidden. The lights of a car lit up the area. He slammed his back against the wall again and looked out carefully. Just a regular car.

He growled again, starting to fall into a bad mood, _I've gotta keep moving._

He turned up his collar and started moving off. As he did, he checked what he had on him. His clothes, his amulet, the guns, his wallet, and...

He stopped as he felt something in his pocket. He took it out. It was a scrap of paper with a name and address.

**Mathius**

**89 Port Road**

The name triggered something. He winced and put a hand on his head as it started to pound. Flashes went past his eyes. He couldn't make them out but they served the purpose of making his head ache and a sudden weakness enter his body. He leaned to the side and raised his other hand to place it against the wall. A groan left his lips and he fell down to his knees. He felt something wet soak his jeans. He opened his eyes and saw red.

_Blood?_

He blinked a couple times and the liquid turned to water. He felt a need grow inside of him. He was familiar with it and fought it back down. He didn't have time to deal with it. The pounding began to fade and soon disappeared. leaving him oddly weak. After taking a couple breaths, he raised his head and stood up. A clock tower chimed somewhere. It was getting late and he needed to find this 'Mathius' person before doing anyting else.

He began to move on through the streets. No one was about. He found a bus map and looked at it. He didn't recognize the city he was in but found the street he was looking for. It was a long way walking and his body ached as if he had fought an army.

He started into the main streets. Only a few cars were out and the rain was coming down harder. He avoided any law enforcement that came near but they were all headed toward the area he had come from, if they were not there already. After the seventh cruiser, he began to wonder why so many were heading to a small murder. There had been police at the scene before so the number of cars could easily be over ten by now.

_What is going on? _He wondered with a slight growl, _What have I done?_

He remembered some flashes. The apartment and...the body. He recognized the dead man but couldn't remember from where. He noticed some anger rise up somewhere in his mind at the image of the man. Was there a fight?

He glanced at a store and noticed some TVs inside, playing a news report.

"...in other news, officials are still on the look out for the mass murderer known only as the Red Devil. This killer has been dubbed this name for the cultist symbols left at every crimescene written in the victim's blood. So far, there have been 13 reported killings with the police being unable to find any leads or suspects. Citizens are advised to lock up their homes and always be with another person during night hours. Police will be making routine sweeps of the city to further their efforts in catching this criminal."

_Cultist symbols..._

A picture of a crime scene appeared. His eyes widened at the symbols. He recognized them from teachings when he was young. They could be called cultist but, in reality, they were demonic.

_Demon rituals...I can't figure out what the hell kinda ritual is going on...Guess I shoulda paid attention when Pops was talking about that._

He shook his head and continued moving. The rain was getting worse and lightning was flaring up the sky. He hunched his shoulders and forced himself through the rain. He had questions that needed answering and a bit of water wasn't going to stop him. Something in his gut told him this Mathius was the best place to start.

"Why am I always caught up in demon buisness?" he muttered, his body completely soaked, "Just because my old man betrayed his kind, I have to take the heat for it. Pfft, sins of the father..."

He came to Maple Road and found his destination to be an apartment building. He entered the lobby and looked at the list of names on the inside beside the mailboxes. None of them had the name Mathius...but one had M.

He pressed the buzzer and waited. A voice came over the intercom, "Who is it? What do you want?" It sounded like a cranky old man who hated anything that breathed. He imagined him to be bent over with white hair sticking out everywhere.

"Mathius?"

"Who wants to know?"

He rolled his eyes, "My name is Dante and I need your help."

**Review please!**


	4. A Second War

**III**

Dante walked up the stairs of the apartment building to a room near the top floor. This Mathius guy had changed his attitude entirely when he gave his name. There was a smile on his voice and he let the youth in without another remark. It was strange.

As he came to the door, he felt something. He stopped and blinked. Carefully, he stretched out his senses to figure it out. Usually, anything that felt his power would recoil or attack but that didn't happen. Instead, a power in the area welcomed his search freely and hid nothing.

He couldn't think of what the power was. It didn't seem demonic...but it certainly wasn't human either. What he did know, was it was coming from behind this Mathius' door. He raised his fist and knocked.

A man answered. He wore shades, was bald, and walked with a cane. A large smile was on his face and Dante's eyes widened as he felt the power he had been sensing coming from this man.

He composed himself and hardened, "I'm-"

"I know who you are."

The sudden statement threw him off and he blinked.

The smile widened, "I've been waiting for you." The man turned and walked into the apartment, "Come in...Son of Sparda."

He went ridged and widened his eyes, "How the hell-!"

"It's my business to know things, boy. Now get in! You're letting the heat out!"

He growled a bit before entering and closing the door. The apartment was small but nice in its own way. It had just enough space for the man to hobble around with his cane tapping in front of him.

_Blind_, Dante guessed.

He glanced around as he walked behind the man. There was next to nothing in there, which would be explained by the man being blind, but it still had a bit of a mess. Nothing like what Dante could achieve (or had already achieved in his life) but still noticeable. There seemed to be no sort of memento to a family in his apartment. Like he was the only one left. He understood a lack of photographs but there should be at least something. He reached up a gloved hand to the amulet around his neck and gripped it through his shirt. A spark flared in the back of his mind and he stopped. He knew that spark. The colour blue was always associated with it.

The squeak of a chair distracted him and he turned to see the man had sat down at a wooden table with two chairs only. He went over and sat across from him, "So...you're Mathius?"

"Of course." His tone seemed to have changed dramatically from a crusty old man that exsisted a few seconds ago. Instead, he just seemed to be smiling and talking in a way that made Dante want to punch him.

"Listen, I don't know what's going on. All I remember is running from an apartment with some murdered man in it and trying to outrun the police. I don't even remember who the guy was or why I was there."

Mathius was smiling in a way that made him want to growl.

"Anyway, when I escaped the cops, I found this paper with your name on it in my pocket. So...what the hell is going on?"

He chuckled, "Just events destined to occur for over 2000 years."

That threw him off, "...The hell?"

"I'll explain for you. You know your father's story, do you not?"

"Of course I do - he's my old man! How do you know it?"

"One question at a time, boy! Now...your father sealed the tower known as Temen-ni-gru. It's purpose was, originally, to be a tunnel to the domain of the Demons to the world of Humans. The seal Sparda placed on it prevents the possibility of armies to cross into this world...or so it was believed."

Dante hardened a little, an inherited dislike for that possibility kicking in, "What do you mean?"

"There is ancient magic that had passed out of mainstream memory long before your father was even born. This magic was dubbed the Old Religion as it often required rituals and sacrifice to work. I know of one spell powerful enough to disregard the power of Sparda's spell and open a portal between the worlds. The portal wouldn't be stable, by any means, but it could last long enough to be an inconvenience."

"Is that what's happening?"

Mathius nodded, "To answer your next question, the reason why there isn't an attempt to undo Sparda's seal is because the youngest son of Sparda possesses an amulet needed and-" A chuckle, "-he is supposed to be dead to the human acolytes of devils and missing to devil-kind."

Dante's hand reached instinctively for his amulet again for a moment before going back down on the table. Usually, his cocky nature and natural one-liners would be spewing from is mouth but nothing came. His past always seemed to have that effect.

"You have been involved in this event since the magic was created. To your eyes it may seem like the wrong place at the wrong time but, in truth, your new adversaries will do anything to capture you and your family."

"What?"

He chuckled and folded his hands in front of him, "There is never just one war in this-or any-world, Dante Sparda. A second Great War between mankind and the hoards of devils is at hand."

Dante stared at him for a moment, grasping what was being said before whispering, "What are you? You know too much...and you don't have a human scent."

"Your father knows of my kind. We're a rare breed these days but present, nonetheless."

Dante's mind boggled. Just what the hell was going on? "How-"

A pounding sounded on the door, causing him to jump in the chair, "Police, open up!"

"Hold your horses!" Mathius called out, reverting back to the crusty old man. He got up and tapped his cane on the floor. He whispered to Dante as he passed, "Out the window, boy, and keep your wits about you."

He didn't need to be told twice. He jumped to the nearest window and opened it. He climbed out and hung by the windowsill, closing the pane quietly. He dropped down, letting out a grunt as he hit the ground enough to send a shock through his system.

A careful listen told the cops were right around the corner. He ran down the alley in the opposite direction, disappearing into the night. He didn't know what was going on entirely but he did know one thing for certain: the Spardas were in danger again.

**Review please!**


	5. Mourning

**For anyone unfamiliar with my stories, I use the line break to show a POV change. I'll make sure in the first sentence to show who's POV it is.**

**And I'm going to try to write some longer chapters. My short-chapter-a-week- habit is just teasing.**

**IV**

_**Sparda Manor**_

Eva Sparda hummed a small tune as she cleaned her gun. A good hunter takes care of their weaponry. Plus, she had a moment to herself to do so with her boys out for their daily training.

She smiled. Her boys. Her devils.

She would lie if she said she pictured this as her life: married to the Dark Knight of legend with a half-demon, half-human son.

A pause. _A_ son. She slowly put the gun down and opened a drawer in the desk she sat at. Inside was a picture of a family. Her family over ten years ago. There was Sparda, dressed in his finest purple suit. His hair was slicked back and his monocle was without a smudge. His hand was on her shoulder as she smiled at the camera, wearing the black dress and red shawl Sparda loved on her so much. In between them were two twin boys: one clothed in blue and the other in red. Vergil and...

_Dante..._

Dante had his arm wrapped around Vergil's neck with a grin. His other hand was held up in the peace sign while he nearly strangled his twin against him. Vergil was just rolling his eyes and looking like he was pretending he wasn't related to the one beside him. It wasn't the most formal of family photos but it was obvious they weren't going to be able to take a better one.

Eva smiled sadly and brushed her fingers over the picture. Dante had always been rambunctious and full of extra energy. Always scheming, always looking for adventure...

A soft laugh, "Always getting his big brother into trouble..."

A tear escaped her eye. She hurriedly wiped it away and put the picture on the desk. Her hands went to her gun again and continued to clean it. She missed her younger son dearly. He was always the one who could bring out the full potential of her feelings, whether they had been love or wrath.

She remembered a night when Sparda had taken Vergil out to a library. She had received a call that her mother was in the hospital and it didn't look like she was going to make it. Dante had caught her crying in her room and wordlessly worked his way into her arms, letting her cry into his hair while he gave her affectionate nuzzles.

A door opened, disturbing her from the memory. She quickly wiped the new tears that had trickled down her face and got up to greet her husband and son. She missed Dante dearly but Vergil was just as loved. His intelligence and strength filled her with pride and relief that he survived the blaze set by their enemies.

She came upon them smiling with each other and discussing their latest spar. She took special note of the light in Vergil's eyes. Something had happened out there. Something that, it seemed, Sparda didn't know about. Her son was hiding something from his father.

"Eva," Sparda smiled, noticing her, "you will be proud of our son. His speed and stealth have reached new levels. I had to start focusing my senses to find him. A worthy win for him today."

She smiled and stood up a bit to kiss his cheek, "That's my boy."

"_Your_ boy, mother?" he asked.

"When you knock your father down, you're officially mine."

The three laughed and Vergil hugged her, "Thank you, mother. I'm going to study for a while." He smiled and left.

She watched him go, knowing for certain something was amiss. Her smile faded as Sparda's arm came around her. His voice was soft as their son disappeared into the door leading into the library, "He's becoming very strong."

"Yes," she agreed softly, "he is."

A gentle hug, "What is troubling you, milady?"

"Nothing Sparda. I'm fine."

"Eva." He tilted her face up with his free hand, "I can smell salt in the air. You were crying."

She smiled a little, remembering how good a devil's nose was. She wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his shoulder, "I was thinking of Dante."

She felt his body shift with sudden sadness, "I see..."

She drew in a shaky breath, "It still hurts."

"It does for me as well, milady...I guess I am more human than some think. In the Demon World, nestlings are weak and you know how we think of weakness. Demons don't weep over dead nestlings...In fact, it's not uncommon to find half-eaten nestlings scattered throughout the world, or live ones abandoned to fend for themselves. Especially if they lost their makers' favour..."

She looked up at him and saw a troubled expression. She could tell by his look that he was thinking of something other than Dante, "Sparda?"

His gaze shifted to her and he smiled, "No need to trouble yourself. I was just thinking of my past."

"That's a lot to think about." She tapped his cheek playfully, "Don't give yourself a headache."

He laughed, "I shall try not to."

She kissed him, "Some mail came for you earlier. I think it's from your bank. I put it in your study."

He sighed, "This is the one thing I don't understand about humanity. _Working for livelihood_. It's so much easier to fight for your survival like a demon."

She laughed at his view on things, "I think we do both, Sparda. Tell me though. Is your views on human work why you haven't pushed Vergil to get a job? Most boys his age have part-time jobs by now."

"Pfft. He doesn't need it. He'll be a hunter like you and we can support him with the wealth I have."

She smiled and kissed him again, "I guess so...I've been mending our equipment all day. I haven't had time to start dinner. Any special requests?"

"Whatever you make will be fine, milday."

She rolled her eyes at the very male answer and left. She made a turn back to the desk, making sure Sparda saw it so he would think she would be returning to her mending. When she was sure he had left for his study, she went to the library.

The library was large to suit Sparda's tastes. He loved human literature, especially the classics. Long rows of shelves filled with books occupied the room with a large, round table in the center. Vergil tend to spend a lot of time in there as a child and probably could have read every book they owned in his 18 years of life.

She found him at the table with an assortment of human and demon scripts around him. The smile he wore earlier was gone and he looked frustrated.

"Vergil?" she called gently.

He looked up, "Mother? Is something wrong?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

He smiled, "Nothing. Just reading."

"What are you reading?"

"Nothing important." She noticed a flash in his eyes and smirked. He grimaced, "It's really nothing, mother. Just some...battle strategies."

She crossed her arms, "Vergil, I may be human but I know my son. You _never_ frown when looking at battle strategies."

He winced a little and looked down, "I'm...I'm looking at some old devil scripts."

She softened, sensing a tender area, "For what?"

"Just for study mother. Father doesn't really like talking about the old lords. I thought I should know them so I can fight demons better."

She could see he was lying but his eyes stopped her from calling him on it. Something was disturbing him and he didn't want to involve her at the moment. She decided to let it go and brushed her fingers through his hair, "All right. Don't push yourself too hard."

Relief entered his eyes when she didn't pursue his distress, "I won't. What are we having or dinner tonight?"

"Sparda said anything I make is fine but we both know him better." She chuckled, "I managed to get some steaks when I went shopping. Your father was grumbling in his sleep about the lack of red meat lately. You know how devils love their meat."

He laughed and she smiled, glad he was still smiling. Whatever was troubling him, it wasn't enough to consume him.

She gave him an affectionate pat on the shoulder, "I'll call you when dinner is ready."

He nodded and returned to the books as she turned to walk away. Dante would always be missed but she loved Vergil dearly. She was grateful to whatever god (demonic or otherwise) for saving him from the fire and vowed to do whatever she could to keep him alive and happy.

* * *

Vergil watched her go from the corner of his eye. He couldn't tell her what happened. It would hurt her too much.

He was no fool. He knew how much losing Dante had hurt her. He never held any illusions that she didn't love him as well. They just connected with each other better. Just as he had a better connection with Sparda.

A sigh left him as he remembered the time following the loss. She had tried hard not to cling to Vergil but he could see her need for a son close. He permitted it because, honestly, he needed a parent close. There was something about the love of a mother, as well, that just eased a child more than anything.

He picked up a book next to him. Old books on magic that should have been destroyed or lost long ago. He was thankful they weren't. It made things easier for him. He tried to focus on the text but his mind kept drifting to the past.

The fire...the smell of burning fabric, wood, and demon flesh...the loud sounds of cracking wood, slapping flames, and his little brother's frightened panting-

_No!_ He slammed the book down, "No! No, I won't think about that!"

He became as tense as a cat and gripped the book and table. He shook his head to clear the memory away and took deep breaths. He wasn't entirely sure if half-devils could have panic attacks but he wasn't willing to discover if he could either. When he calmed down, he looked at the table. His fingers had created some scratches. They weren't very noticeable but he made a note to grab a tablecloth from the linenroom to hide it later.

He closed his eyes and sat back with a sigh, _Why is this bothering me so much?...It was only a moment...I don't even know if it was real anymore...Dante's dead...He's dead and...it's my fault..._

He put his hand over his eyes and returned to thoughts of his mother. She was the strongest of humans when it came to composure and will. He had seen proof beyond the fact that a devil chose her as a mate. She didn't have the physical features that were appealing to devil-kind after all.

Knowing that all his life, Vergil was more scared when she lost herself at the knowledge of Dante's death then he had been about the fire. She hadn't been herself for days...

_**Flashback...**_

The hotel was cheap and looked like it's yearly income could very well have been 100 dollars. Vergil pretended to sleep under the torn, thin bedsheets. He was still gripping Yamato tightly against him, feeling the katana pulse slightly to comfort it's master.

A door opened. He heard his father's voice whisper, "How is he?"

"He's been asleep since you left," Eva whispered back. Her voice was slightly hoarse.

"I am sorry, milady. Were it not for your marriage to me, you would not have felt this pain."

"Sparda, if it wasn't for you, I would be dead anyway. You know humans in our line of work don't last long. Because of you, I'm alive and have a-a son." She hiccuped, faltering at the last of it.

He heard fabric move and he guessed his father had wrapped his arms around her. Eva cried, the sound being muffled a little. Vergil gripped Yamato tighter and squeezed his eyes shut. His father was worried now and then but his mother was always strong. She never cried or got upset. Never.

After a while, she calmed down and Sparda rose. The sound of metal sliding across fabric could be heard and a sword being sheathed.

"Where are you going now?" she asked.

"I need to kill some things..." the Dark Knight said with a deadly note that disturbed his nestling, "and so does Rebellion. It was originally my sword but it grew attached to Dante. It mourns him as well and desires flesh and blood."

Vergil tensed a bit, vaguely wondering if Yamato would do the same.

"Don't stay out all night," Eva said, "Vergil is going to want comfort from you soon."

"Yes, milady."

The door opened and closed again. After a few moments and the boy felt his father's power erupt with anger and hatred. A devil trigger. A howl sounded. It was a sound of anger, defiance, hurt, and need for bloody vengeance. Sparda was going to be gone for a while.

Eva sighed and laid down behind Vergil. She brushed his hair slightly before relaxing. He knew she didn't want to smother him, however much of a need for him she was harbouring. Her scent began to waft around him. It was a smell of comfort and safety for him, even under the dark aroma of ash and blood. He tried to fall asleep to it.

He was close to slumber when she got up again. She tried to do it without waking him, but he was always alert - waking up to the slightest noises and movements in the night. It was his nature. She started pacing. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was rubbing her arms, striding back and forth across the small room, with silent tears washing down her face.

He sat up. She didn't seem to notice his awakened state. He slipped off the bed and walked slowly to the end board. When Eva walked near him, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her legs.

She stopped with a gasp and he could feel her eyes on him. Her voice was soft, "Vergil, you should be asleep."

He hugged her tighter and turned his face into her stomach, a few traitorous tears soaking into the spaghetti-strap shirt she had been wearing when the fire started. Her hands came to rest on his shoulder and in his hair.

He drew in a ragged breath, "I-I love y-you, mamma." It was all he could think of saying.

She stilled for a moment before quickly kneeling down to hug him tightly, "I love you too, sweetheart. So, s-so very much."

Her voice broke and she buried her face in his shoulder. He felt her tears fall into his hair and on his neck. His tears came easier and he gripped her, his arms around her shoulders. He had never cried so much before and he couldn't remember a time she had as well. In fact, he couldn't think of a time she had cried in front of him.

_Is pappa crying too?_

_**End flashback...**_

Another sigh left him at that memory. He didn't remember how long they cried for. He only recalled waking up between his parents the next morning. Eva had tear streaks down her face and Sparda was covered in blood. He never dared to ask Sparda if he physically cried over Dante's death. Devils never cried. It was a human gift, but if a devil had a human soul wouldn't they be able to cry?

Sparda wasn't like other devils. He had compassion, for one thing. Most devils wouldn't mourn the loss of a nestling. Nestlings were weak and, therefore, expendable. Plus, they could always make more. However, he had never been himself since the fire. His nestling's death had changed him. He watched his remaining one more closely and constantly held Rebellion instead of another devil arm.

Vergil picked up another book, _If I tell them what I felt...would it hurt them? Or would I just be getting their hopes up? I'm not even sure if it was real or my imagination...It wouldn't have just happened if it was my imagination though...would it?...I was thinking about that night...but it seemed so vivid at the time..._

He reached up and grabbed the gold amulet around his neck. A growl came through his lips as he squeezed it...then, it happened again with red clouding his vision.

**Review please!**


	6. Information

**Early chapter! Well, only by a couple hours, but still.**

**V**

The surface was hard and smelled of rust and stale urine. Dante groaned slightly as his eyes opened. He was beyond sore and his leg had stiffened in his sleep. He had landed a tad too hard when free falling from Mathius' window. He groaned more and raised himself. His muscles ached in protest so much he resolved to just sit up for now.

His sleep-clouded mind struggled to take in his surroundings. Somewhere dark. He blinked a couple times to adjust his eyes. He was in an overturned tanker near one of the bum-filled alleyways. It was facing a shipping area filled with warehouses and tankers.

He stretched and scratched his back lazily, "Right. I remember now."

After leaving Mathius' apartment, he ran through the storm in search of shelter. Things had increased by then; the rain was coming down like a waterfall and the world was almost black with only lightning to provide light. He didn't know where he had run to, but he soon found the tanker to take shelter from the rain. The sound of the rain was heavy and his exhausted mind actually took comfort from the sound. It reminded him of a time where a warm, comforting scent surrounded him, a twin was sleeping beside him, and a devil's power was sweeping protectively over him.

He scratched his head, feeling oddly depressed by the memory, before getting up and venturing out. The rain was down to a drizzle now but the puddles were deep. It didn't take long for Dante's feet to get wet again.

Grumbling a bit, he looked around. What could he do? He knew a bit of what was going on, but not much. He began walking towards the streets. A shudder went through his core as he went. He was completely soaked. Right down to his bones.

No one was outside in the weather. Not that they would either way with the _Red Devil_ loose. Dante couldn't help but grin at the name. He hadn't had a full devil trigger before but a devil inside him had awakened. You couldn't get more accurate in description than calling him a 'red devil.'

He noticed a newspaper in a puddle. A story about the serial killer was on the front page. He thought about the symbols. He could identify them as demonic easily enough but he couldn't remember them exactly. He was beginning to wonder if the ones he saw had actually come up in any of his lessons.

_Maybe they're from the Old Religion..._

He walked past another shop with a TV inside it. The owner had just turned it on to the news.

"We have just received a description of the suspect fleeing the latest Red Devil crime scene. Citizens are to be on the lookout for a white-haired youth wearing a red coat and a silver necklace. Be aware, as this youth is armed and dangerous. He carries two pistols. Call authorities immediately if you spot this individual."

He growled, _Of all the luck_... He looked up in time to see the shop owner on the phone, casting a glance at him, _Shit._

He turned and ran down the street as fast as he could manage. He succeeded in getting out of the area before the police responded to the call and stopped, panting a little.

"Whew..." He looked around. He was in a ghetto area; graffiti everywhere, badly kept buildings lining pothole-filled streets, and obvious drug houses on every corner, _Well...I guess I should find out what is going on about this Red Devil._

He began walking down the urine- and blood-soaked streets. Few were out. Just the prostitutes, drug dealers, and their clients. None of them would have seen the news broadcast yet so he had time to relax.

One would think they would know nothing but Dante knew that, if you got the right person from the underground and played your cards right, you could get more than enough information.

A dealer was standing free. He walked over. He was a thin man with the traditional white shirt and blue vest. Kinda typical really. Fortunately for Dante, years growing up in rundown foster homes and surviving some street life had given him a talent for picking up how serious someone truly was. This guy wasn't at all. A newbie dealer but he may have been around long enough to know something.

"You need something?" the guy asked.

"I need some answers to some questions," he answered.

"Answers?"

"Yeah. Know anything about the Red Devil?"

"The serial killer? Rough stuff there. Heard he's been targeting random people and doing some nasty stuff to them."

"How do you know the Red Devil's a him?"

He raised his hands, "I don't know what _it_ is. I'm just keeping my hands clean."

He smirked, "By dealing in the ghettos?"

He shrugged, "Well, relatively clean. A dude's gotta eat, right?"

"I'll give you that. What else do you know?"

"Nothing much really. Just what's been on the news. Have you heard what it does to the bodies? Rips them apart like he's some kind of demon."

_Demon, huh?_

"Hey, why don't you try the coffee shop across the park?" He pointed to a small shop on the other side of a poorly-kept park, "There's usually a man there who knows all kinds of stuff. Small dude. Always see him with a tea and newspaper."

"Alright. Thanks, man."

"No trouble." He went off.

Dante looked at the coffee shop. It would have been the smart thing to avoid any place where that broadcast could reach but he didn't really have a choice. It looked like the only way to get out of this mess was to find the real demon and give him a kiss from Ebony and Ivory.

Putting his hands in his pockets, he walked across the park. A middle-aged man was listening to some old music on his radio with a scruffy looking hound on a leash but that was all. He avoided eye contact with the man and ignored the hound's growl. It knew he wasn't normal. He made it to the shop and entered. The owner looked to be busy with someone on the phone but there was another who caught his eyes.

The man reminded him strongly of his father: well dressed, clean, and drinking from a tea cup. His hair was light-blond and there wasn't a blemish of any kind on him. He looked up from his newspaper at Dante with a smile.

He blinked and felt it again. That strange power...

He motioned in front of him, "Have a seat, Dante."

He hesitated, before walking over and sitting down, "I guess you know Mathius?"

"Not in a friendly way but we're aware of each other." He took a sip of tea, "I've met your father before too, back when I was a boy. You look like him."

"What are you guys?"

"It's best not to get into that now. We have limited time." He folded his paper and put it down, "Choose your questions carefully."

"What is the Red Devil?"

"A human, but he is an acolyte for the other world. As time goes on, he slowly loses more and more of his humanity."

"What is he trying to do?"

"He made a deal with a powerful lord of the dark world. He has knowledge of the Old Religion and is perhaps the only one who could make your father worry."

"I see...Would the lord happen to be someone my father has dealt with before?"

He nodded, "But I can't tell you which for certain. There are a number of powerful lords that would do anything to take over the domain. You'll have to be on your guard."

He sighed a little, gripping the amulet through his shirt again.

"You'll have to be careful of the Red Devil as well. He'll be after you."

"Why? Because of my dad?"

"Partly. Your father's blood runs through you. Any ritual's magic will be increased tenfold if what is in your veins is used as the substance. He is a powerful demon and magic user. Even with your mother's human blood in you, you would be a powerful catalyst." He took another sip of the tea.

He looked down, not liking the idea of being a sacrifice, _My girls would take care of that before it happens._

"You've met him once before. A long time ago."

He looked up sharply, "I have? What are you talking about?"

"I'm afraid that will have to be explained later. We've run out of time."

Dante looked out the window and saw a police car coming.

"Out the back, Dante."

He bolted out the obvious backdoor, hearing the cops burst in seconds later. Running from them in the dark was one thing. Daylight was another. He couldn't hide well. His only chance was to outrun them. He twisted and turned through the streets, trying desperately to get them off his tail. He could easily take care of them with his guns but he wasn't going to cause unneeded bloodshed. One lesson from both of his parents that stayed with him.

He hurtled over a railing and ducked behind a delivery truck that was parked behind a dance club. He pressed himself against it and listened. Nothing was coming. It looked like he outran them. After a few moments, he relaxed and started moving again. With his description all over the place, it was going to be hard to hide. He needed a safe house; somewhere no one would look for him...

He looked around and noticed something. He was at a built-up riverside with familiar surroundings. He rubbed his head, _Where have I seen this?_..._Of course! Lady!_

He grinned and set off across a bridge to the other side of the river. He knew where he was now, at least. The same city he'd lived in for the past couple of years, and there was one family that would accept him and wouldn't think he was the Red Devil.

Two women; Kalina Ann and her daughter Mary (or Lady as Dante had recently taken to calling her). They had known him for years and were the only two he really held onto outside his family.

He power-walked down through the streets but kept a low profile. People were starting to wake up and head to work and he didn't want to be seen. He soon came to a small house with a well-kept lawn. He jumped up the path and knocked on the door.

A girl his age answered with black hair and strange eyes. As soon as she saw him, she grabbed his arm and pulled him in, slamming the door behind him.

"Whoa!" he cried out, stumbling, "Easy Lady."

"Dante!" she growled, "Why are you all over the news?"

"Easy! I'm not the Red Devil. I just got caught up in it all." He walked to where he knew the kitchen was, ignoring her disapproving huff.

The girl's mother was there. She turned and smiled at him, "Hello Dante."

"Hey Kalina. What's happening?"

"Just breakfast," she laughed. She and her daughter were the only two who knew his true identity. An incident years ago had brought out his and their true lineage. They had been close ever since.

"Can I have some? I haven't eaten."

"Of course." She put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him.

"Awesome!"

Lady sat across from him, "Spill Dante. Why do they think you're the Red Devil?"

"I was at the apartment, but it wasn't me. You know I'd never kill a human. Something else got to him."

Kalina placed a plate in front of her daughter, "What happened then?"

"Not sure. I kinda blacked out. I only remember running from the police...and pizza for breakfast." He grinned.

Lady rolled her eyes, "How can you live on pizza all the time?"

"Pizza is awesome!"

Kalina chuckled at the banter, "What would bring you here after that?"

He looked up at her, "Well, I knew you two wouldn't believe I was that serial killer."

"You don't have the heart for that," she agreed.

He smiled, feeling strangely glad someone thought that. Lady softened too, "Is there anything you need Dante?"

He opened his mouth to say no but stopped as he thought of something, "Actually...there is. Where did you put..._his_ books?"

They both shivered.

"This is some old demon magic. I need to learn about it if I expect to stop it. If he knew as much as he did back then, he might know about it..."

Kalina rubbed her arm, "They're in a storage unit beside the river." She went to a drawer and pulled out a key, "I don't even know why I kept those things." She handed him the key.

"Thanks. I'll sort this mess out. Want me to hold onto this? You won't have to deal with it then."

She smiled, "Thank you Dante. You've done so much for us."

_**Flashback...**_

The boy ran fast through the house. He had to get there quickly. He couldn't be late. He burst through the door and saw the bald man speaking in the demon tongue. Mary's mother was in the center of a circle with runes drawn around them. She was tied to a table and looked afraid.

"Dante!" Mary cried from the corner. She had been tied up so she wouldn't interfere and a fresh cut across her nose.

"Mary!" he cried back and ran forward to help her.

A shot rang out and hit him in the back. He felt the familiar pain of a bullet ripping through him before he hit the ground.

"Dante!" Two voices cried out.

"Now," said the man, "where were we?"

"Why are you doing this?" the woman asked fearfully, tears coming.

"With this ritual, I will become a devil and a legend of this world. A new God will rise just as Sparda had."

Dante, feeling his healing energies work quickly, pushed himself up and crawled over to Mary. She was shaking, crying, and surprised that he was getting up. He had been shot in the back but became well enough to move.

He quickly untied her and turned back to him. He was still talking and hadn't noticed, "In your veins flows the blood of the woman Sparda sacrificed to seal the demon world...it will be perfect to grant me power." He raised a knife.

"Mommy!" Mary cried out.

Dante rushed forward, pulling his shirt off and furiously rubbing one of the circle's symbols off. He knew the ritual would have no effect if it's design was incomplete. The man growled at him and raised his gun again. Then, he stopped.

They stared at each other and then Dante realized what he was looking at. His mother's amulet! He looked down at it quickly before wrapping his hand around it and backing up.

"So it's true..." the man whispered, approaching the skittering boy, "Sparda did have a family." He placed the gun down on a table and advanced, "_Your_ blood will work even better."

"No!" the woman cried out, "Dante, run!"

He looked around frantically. He already lost his chance of escape; the man blocked the only exit. He approached with a hungry light in his eyes as Dante's back hit a bookcase.

"Yes," he purred, "your blood will work well." He reached down and grabbed the boy's throat.

"No!" he cried out, kicking at him hard, "Let me go!"

The small half-devil tried hard to get away from the deranged man but the magic in the room was playing havoc on his energies. They seemed to be sapping them the longer he was in the room. His gunshot wound hadn't even fully healed.

"LET GO OF HIM!" A shot fired and the man gasped, releasing Dante.

The boy ran around him and to Mary, who had grabbed the gun and fired it into his back. The two children untied her mother and the woman ushered them out of the darkened room.

_**End flashback...**_

They had called the police and the man, Arkham, was arrested for two counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault, and was found to be the culprit of a number of 'mysterious' disappearances. His wife, Kalina Ann, and his daughter, Mary, were put in protection until he was locked away. A lot of questions were asked, but nothing was really revealed. The greater population believed he was just a mad man while Dante explained who he really was to Kalina and Mary.

"Why don't you stay here tonight Dante?" Kalina said, "I don't think anyone would look for you here."

"Harbouring a wanted criminal?" he grinned, "I always wondered where Lady got her wild side."

Lady rolled her eyes as the two laughed.

**Night...**

Dante stretched himself across the couch with his hands behind his head. He was fine with the couch, especially since Lady flat out refused to _share_ her bed with him. He chuckled and wriggled down into the cushions.

His mind drifited back to the two men he had met. They were strange. They knew too much but they didn't smell like devils. They certainly weren't humans though. He thought of Mathius' apartment and he was reminded of the flare in his mind. The colour blue came up again.

_Blue...Vergil..._ He closed his eyes and moved one hand to the amulet lying on his chest. He was old enough when the fire happened to remember his family, and miss them.

Smoke filled his senses. Just like that, he was there again, in the fire. The flames were bright and hot. He was being dragged by his cerulean-coloured twin through the living room. Demons were everywhere but a great insect-like devil was drawing them away from the boys. The house was collapsing around them and the roof began to fall. Panic had erupted in him as he saw the beams fall and he quickly pushed his brother out of the way. A portal opened and the scarlet twin was pulled into it's depths by a large, white hand.

He opened his eyes when a tear leaked from his eye and quickly destroyed any evidence of it. He missed his family, a lot, but he had had no idea where to look for them. He didn't think they were dead - it hadn't been Mundus' intention to kill them. He knew that firsthand...

_Maybe Verge is trying to find me_, he thought with a small spark of hope, _Dad and Freyja both said demon kids were connected. Some kind of sibling bond thing._ Even though they fought and argued constantly, he did miss Vergil. They were the best of friends when they were young and probably the best team of troublemakers the world had ever seen. A grin crossed his face, _Verge has probably trained with Yamato and dad all these years. Hell, I'd still be able to beat him with my girls._ A thrill ran through his body. He was excited at the idea of going against his brother again. He always did love their fights.

"Are you going to be okay without a blanket, Dante?" asked Kalina, suddenly at the door to the living room.

"No probs. I'll be okay."

"All right. Good night."

"Night."

She left and he settled back into his original position. He would think about his family later. At the moment, all he wanted was some sleep. Before he succeeded in drifting off, he thought he saw his vision turn blue.

**Review please!**


	7. Dancing Idiot

**Easter present!**

**VI**

_**Dream...**_

Vergil found himself coughing and gasping. He couldn't breathe and couldn't find the strength to move much. He was lying on his stomach on cold stone. There was something dripping somewhere and his face was in a puddle.

A groan came from his lips as he pushed himself upward. His hair fell around his face and he saw the white locks stained with blood. His vision swam, flitting between red and black. He still couldn't catch his breath and the pain was increasing with each muscle movement.

He managed to raise himself enough to look into the puddle below him. The reflection made him stop. Something big had hit him. A trickle of blood came from his temple and the corner of his mouth; barely healing cuts were everywhere; and fatigue raged heavily on his features. However, this wasn't what caught the greater part of his attention.

The same eyes and face but everything else was different. His hair was down, he was wearing red and black clothing, and there was a pistol in each hand. An amulet fell from the neck of his shirt. A silver amulet.

_Dante!_

Another's reflection appeared in the water. A shadow that laughed softly and darkly. A sword was drawn slowly. He whipped his head around in time to see it plunged deep into his back.

_**End dream...**_

Every sense screamed danger. He grabbed Yamato's hilt and drew it swiftly, turning to attack the one behind him. A gloved hand grabbed Yamato's blade, stopping the attack and letting blood run down the demon steel.

"Vergil?"

His eyes began to focus on the face of his father. He was in the library again, twisted in the chair now that he had awakened, with an almost panicked appearance.

Sparda lowered the sword, the tip of his sleeve slowly being stained by his blood. He looked surprised and worried. He didn't say anything but studied his son's face and tense muscles.

Slowly, Vergil succeeded in relaxing and looked down, "My apologies, father."

"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

"I am fine." He let the tip of his katana touch the floor, not bothering to clean it.

This worried his devil father as he took the sword from him and cleaned his blood off of it with a cloth, "I doubt that. You have not been yourself since our training yesterday. You did not even show up today. You never miss training. And you never allow Yamato's blade to stain."

He looked away from him, leaning on the table with his elbows.

"Vergil." He could hear the worry in his voice, "Tell me what is wrong."

"It's nothing father...I'd rather study today instead of training."

He heard his mother's gasp this time and covered his eyes with his hand. She entered the room, "Something must be wrong if you want to miss training."

"Nothing, mother. I'm fine. Just...tired."

He could tell they were both concerned. Sparda put his hand on his shoulder, "Something has been troubling you. Why won't you tell us?"

He turned his head a little and sighed, "I need time to figure it out."

"All right," Eva said quickly, "Take as much time as you need. Just remember we're here when you need us."

A breath of relief left him, "Thank you, mother."

She came up behind him and hugged him, "Anytime." She pulled Sparda from the room and he was left alone.

Vergil looked down at the amulet. He held it and studied the red gem in it's center, _Dante looked my age in my dream...Could it be that he is alive? That he survived the fire?...If that's true, then where has he been all these years?...Why hasn't he found us again? And why didn't father find him when he searched...I know I didn't sense him then. He was gone..._

He picked up Yamato and sheathed it. The bond between nestlings was like a sixth sense, always present and so natural that no focus was required in order for it to work.

If it was always present, then why was it flaring only now? Was it because Dante was close? Because he's in danger? Or, perhaps, did Vergil just fool himself for years in thinking he no longer possessed it? That it was actually active when he thought it wasn't.

"I need a way to see if Dante's alive for sure," he muttered, hand still on Yamato's hilt. He ran his fingers along the checker design for a moment before turning around, "Rebellion was Dante's sword. Maybe it can help."

He left the library and journeyed to his father's study. Although all the other devil arms were placed in a warded armoury beneath the mansion, Rebellion was always found in Sparda's study. It would be easier to reach and the Dark Knight could feel like his lost nestling was close.

Vergil reached and immediately sensed his father inside. He let out a soft sigh and pushed the door open. He figured he might not get out of explaining with this one. Only the grace of motherly instinct had saved him before and Eva wasn't around.

Sparda turned in his chair to look at him. The concern was still there but he didn't seem to want to press it, "Did you need something, son?"

His eyes shifted to the sword that leaned against a bookshelf next to his father, "I need to borrow Rebellion."

He blinked, confused, "...You may if you need it."

"Thank you." He walked forward and reached out to touch the hilt. However, he couldn't. Something held him back as his hand couldn't reach out to even graze the hilt of the broadsword.

His mind raced with images and guilt. Of the good times playing with Dante in the forest, or building pillowforts in one of the spare rooms; and of the night of the fire, where his slow movements had cost his younger sibling dearly.

A hand touched his arm and he gasped. Sparda had risen and looked at his nestling softly through his monocle, "You've been thinking of Dante lately, haven't you?"

He looked down with a soft sigh, somehow unable to meet his father's gaze.

Sparda let out a sigh of his own, "Your mother has as well and, truthfully, he has occupied my thoughts too. It is almost the same time of the year."

He lowered his hand, sensing both swords questioning Vergil's actions. It was as if they were wondering why he dwelled in the past. Why he couldn't let Dante go.

Sparda spoke in the demonic tongue to get his attention, _**Elder nestling, let go of the lost nestmate. He is gone and unable to be revived.**_

He hung his head with a breath, _**Cannot let go...**_

_**Explain. May miss but should not hold on. Nestmate would not want that.**_

His next part was whispered, _**My fault...**_

This surprised Sparda, _**What does nestling mean? Was not elder's fault. Was sire's enemy's fault.**_

He would never understand how it had happened or how he had lost himself so completely and suddenly. Perhaps it was his father's intervention or the shock of regaining a lost sense, but he confessed his darkest secret, _**Elder was too weak to survive! Nestmate gave life for my survival!**_

* * *

**_Derelict City Blocks_**

Dante had taken to the back streets when he awoke. He didn't want to be seen and couldn't allow Kalina and Lady to be involved. They had been caught in the middle of devil business once, they didn't need to be in it again.

It was the middle of the day and there wasn't many people around. Still, he didn't take any chances and walked only in shadows or under the cover of something. It was hard, but he quickly made it to a storage complex. It was large but organized. Dante hopped over the fence at the back and slipped in. He could have gone through the front but there was a booth there with someone watching the news. He could be called reckless but he wasn't that stupid.

He pulled out the key and looked at the number: D39. He looked at the black numbers printed above the doors on the storage units. He was in the As. Pocketing the key, he jogged off to find the Ds.

He didn't particularily like the idea of looking through Arkham's books but, if there was any information on the Old Religion, it would be in his archives. He remember when he first met the man. Instantly, he didn't like him but he was Lady's father and Lady was the first friend he had made since the fire. He decided to be nice then. Weird things happened then. He started saying things and refering to things that only a devil (or a son of a devil) would know. The natural dislike grew in him up to the night he ran to save Lady and her mother, hearing their screams and sensing demon powers.

He stopped in front of the storage unit that belonged to Arkham. He reached forward to lift the door up. As his hand came in contact with the handle, it burned and sparked. Growling, he jumped back.

Wards. Surprisingly good ones but nothing that would kill.

_Huh,_ he thought rubbing his wrist,_ well, he did make that ritual..._

Using his senses, he searched for the weak point of the wards. Some things of his father's lessons did stay with him. He smiled as he saw it and raised his guns. There was a black symbol painted in the corner of the building. No one would be able to see it unless they were looking for it. He aimed and fired two shots, destroying part of the symbol.

With a smirk, he holstered the guns and opened the door. The inside was dusty and cramped. Old books were everywhere. He coughed as he entered and looked around.

_Where the hell do I begin?_ he thought, scratching his head.

All the books looked the same. He picked up one and opened it. Demon writing. He could only pick up a word or two. Nothing that would hint at the old religion however.

He sighed as he looked over the books, _This is going to take a while._

He hated reading (unless it was about motorcycles and guns) and wasn't all that keen on going through all the books. Grumbling, he started. The books were all ancient, bounded in leather, and smelled of dust and mould.

"Man I hate this," he muttered, "Why can't my problems just be solved with a few bullets, all the time?"

He picked up a strange book that had a hard cover. It seemed to be made of...bone? A red gem was in the center.

_Hang on a sec. That isn't a gem_. He lifted the book up and saw a face in it's center, _It's a red orb. A demon book?_

He opened the cover. Demon runes - ancient demon runes. The kind only the oldest devils used. They were written neatly across thick, leather-like pages in groupings. Dante gathered the groupings were supposed words. He couldn't read them fluently enough to fully understand what was written but three he did understand.

_That's dad's name...and mine and Vergil's? What...?_

He tried to decipher more of the book but couldn't. He never did pay much attention to the words of the demon tongue. He could speak it well enough to get by but that was it.

_Maybe I'll take this with me._

It was when he closed the book that he noticed something. A candle was lit on a desk in the back of the room. A book was opened with loose pages all around it. He walked toward it and looked at the writtings. The book itself was in a more modern demon script. It was more easily understood by the half-devil but someone before had deciphered it for him. The pages littered around were in English.

"Huh, spells and incantations...This must be the Old Religion the old man was talking about."

The scribblings were neat enough to read but only bits and pieces had been translated. As if the translator was being careful that no one would ever understand the contents of the book in case it their pages were found. The candle flickered and Dante noticed a shine on a page by his hand. He reached forward and dragged his finger across the word. Pen ink rubbed off on his finger.

"It's still wet?"

His senses flared then, screaming danger. He turned in time to see a ball of energy come at him. He jumped back and fired his guns in the direction the attack had come from.

_Of course the ink was wet! A freakin' candle was still burning for Christ's sake!_

An insane laugh filled the room, "Oh, how quick the little devil-boy is! Jumping here and there to avoid my wittle attacks!"

He growled, searching for his attacker, "Who are you?"

A purple figure jumped onto a table. He looked like a mad clown with a large nose and an even larger mouth. He held a scepter of some kind in his hand as he grinned widely at Dante.

He tightened his hands on his pistols, "Well? You gonna tell me who you are big nose? Or do we have to dance to find the answer?"

"Dance?" He laughed wildly, "Dancing is great! But you should know who I am. After all, who could forget a face like mine? Well? Do you know? Or do we have to drive a drill into that thick skull of yours?"

Not appreciating the remark, he started shooting at the clown's feet. He jumped up and around, tumbling off the table like some sort of circus trick. He then started literally dancing around to avoid Dante's bullets.

A little pissed that he was doing this, he ceased his fire. The clown stopped, "Whew! Thanks for the dance, little Sparda."

His eyes widened and he advanced quickly, "How do you know my name!"

"Whoa! Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa! Easy, little Sparda. I'll explain all. My name-" He drew himself up and made a dramatic bow, "- is Jester! And I know a great deal about you. How you have a pure devil for a father-a human for a mother! I know how a great fire separated you from your brother and drew you into the deepest pits of Hell and how you are being called a bad, bad boy for a bunch of dead humans-"

Dante surged forward, throwing the annoying moron against a shelf and putting Ebony to his nose.

"Wait! Waitwaitwaitwait!"

"It's bugging the crap out of me that you're talking more than me, so get to the point or your nose it going to have a bullet-sized peircing."

He laughed nervously, "No need to use violance. I have some information for you."

"What information?"

"About you dear brother, Vergil!"

"Vergil?" He snarled and pushed the gun further against his nose, "What about Vergil?"

"Heh, heh. The lad is on your trail, feeling the bond between you two flare now and then, but that's not a good thing! Your big brother will soon search for you and that will put him in danger."

"What do you mean?"

He grinned and suddenly disappeared from his grasp. Dante spun around, trying to find him. A laugh echoed from outside. He grabbed the book and ran out, searching.

"You better hurry, devil-boy! If you don't find your twin soon, he may wind up in trrroouuubbllleee!" Jester's annoying, maniacly laugh echoed before fading away.

Just as it did, the police arrived. Cursing, Dante spun and ran toward the back fence. Unfortunately, the police had blocked off to the smaller fences. The only one he could get to was a high one that even he couldn't jump over. He ran for it anyway, refusing to give up. To throw off his persuers, he turned and fired Ebony near them. He didn't aim to hit them, just enough to make them take cover. He needed all the time he could get.

He made it to the fence and saw his salvation. A lightpost. He picked up speed and ran up the post - a trick he saw his father do once during an attack. As soon as he reached the top, he jumped backward and flipped over the fence. As soon as he landed, he ran forward and into the streets beyond. It would take them time to get out of the complex to give chase.

He holstered Ebony and dashed into the day's crowds and shadows. However, his thoughts were not on his hunters. His thoughts were on Vergil. What had the clown meant by he was in danger? He wasn't into the lovey-dovey-protecty-brother attitude, but no one hurt his family and got away with it.

_I've got to find Verge before he gets in trouble..._

He ducked into an alley and managed to stop beside a wall before his head began to pound again. He fell to his knees and put his hands to his temples. It felt as though there was a pulsing pressure inside his brain that threatened to tear his skull apart.

_**Flashback...**_

"Dante, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it!"

"You knew all this time and DIDN'T TELL ME!" His hands tightened on his pistols.

"I did it to protect you!"

"Protect me? I don't need your fucking protection!"

Fighting ensued next. The sounds of punching next to a pistol being fired filled the room and a strong power overwhelmed the area. A power that hid itself under Dante's.

A body suddenly lay at Dante's feet. Blood pooled all around it. He knelt down and picked up the man he had been fighting with. He placed his fingers on his throat.

Nothing. He was dead.

_**End flashback...**_

The pounding faded as the flashback did. He looked up slowly with a stunned expression, _Did...I kill him?_

**Hehe, can't tell Trickster is my favourite style, can you? ;)**

**Review please!**


	8. A New Evil

**In this story, I'm not trying to make Dante and Vergil seem like the closest of brothers. With Vergil, I'm just trying to show the effects of life-long guilt. That's why he's freaking out a little.**

**They will be fighting at some point - that's just too good to pass up and we all know it is.**

**Oh, and I apologize in advance for any spelling mistakes. I'm at war with mine and FanFiction's spellcheck.**

**VII**

Vergil's hands fisted in his hair. Yamato had fallen from his grasp and he was shaking. If it wasn't bad enough that his deepest secret had come out, his mother and father wouldn't leave him alone about it. As soon as he said that Dante sacrificed himself for him, Sparda had called Eva up. They were both trying to get what he meant out of him. Sparda had even gone as far as locking the door and keeping his devil powers up in case his son tried something.

Eva put her hands on his face, "Tell us what happened."

"Why did you say Dante gave himself for you?" Sparda asked gently.

Vergil shook his head, his throat tightening painfully. He couldn't admit to that night; his weakness and failure.

"Please. I hate seeing you like this. You're being torn up inside. Let it out. Tell us."

He shook, a strangled version of a cough and sob escaping his lips.

Eva tilted his face up with a gentle touch. Her voice remained soft and quiet, "Vergil, it's all right. Please tell us...Did you see Dante die that night?"

Neither son of Sparda was ever able to deny Eva when she spoke to them this way. With all the gentle and loving nature of a mother. She had always been a quick-tongued, strong woman. She had even berated Sparda in front of them and he was a devil.

He took a breath, "Not exactly..."

_**Flashback...**_

Vergil dragged Dante downstairs. The fire alarms were loud but the cries of demons were still louder. They knew they had to get out of the house and wait for their parents.

Loud cracks sounded above them and explosions were coming from behind them as doors and windows broke. Vergil kept his younger brother running. The front door was completely engulfed in flames and the windows that were open were blocked as well. They would have to go through the side door that lead into the gardens.

Dante gave a small cry as his brother suddenly pulled him to the side, "Slow down, Verge!"

"We can't slow down!" he yelled back, "Come on!"

They ran through the main hallway and into the livingroom. No demons had found them yet and they didn't find a trace of their parents. They were almost to safety however. Just a few more steps and they would be in the small hallway that ran the length of the house with the doorway that promised freedom from a flaming death.

He tightened the grip he had on Dante's wrist and ran faster. Then, another loud crack reached their hearing.

"Vergil!"

The blue twin looked up to see the archway above him had gave way and began to fall at a high speed. He realized quickly that they would never be able to get out from under it in time.

Suddenly, he felt Dante rip his wrist from his grasp and two hands pushed on his back hard. He stumbled forward and hit the ground just as the beams did. When he realized what had happened, he spun around and saw flaming beams where his brother used to be.

_**End flashback...**_

"The beams had come down on t-top of him," Vergil choked out, the memory haunting him and filling him with self-targeted rage even as he spoke, "If I had b-been faster-" He growled.

Eva pulled him into her arms, making him put his face in her shoulder. He tensed and wrapped his arms around her, trying hard not to cry. What kind of big brother was he?

Sparda's hand came to rest on his shaking back. He was crooning demonically, trying to calm him down as a devil. It took a while but he eventually slumped wearily. He felt his mother's hand rub his arms gently.

He straightened and looked away, "I...I should have been faster."

"Vergil you were a child," Sparda argued gently, "even by human standards. The demonic energies you and Dante inherited from me had not even awoken yet. There was no way you could have known that part of the roof would collapse."

"Your father is right," Eva soothed, "Don't blame yourself. We all know Dante wouldn't have wanted you too."

He sighed again. He did feel better with them knowing but a greater part of him still felt guilt. However much Dante annoyed him, and however many times he _had_ threatened to kill him, he didn't truly want him dead. It was just normal fighting between brothers.

"You were a good brother to him. He loved you."

"He loved to rile me," he retorted half-heartedly, "but...I still should have saved him."

Sparda wrapped his arm around his son and let his energies wash over him, "This is why you've been so unlike yourself, isn't it? You have been harbouring unnecessary guilt all these years."

He felt ashamed by the words and hung his head.

He brushed his hand through his hair, enforcing the soothing process devils did to troubled young. Constant contact and a flow of energy, "Don't let this consume you. It was not your fault. Dante made the choice to save his brother."

A strange comfort came from those words and he nodded. The devil in him was responding to his father's actions and his human side was drinking in the comfort from his mother presence. He was calming down now, at least.

Eva brushed his bangs from his eyes, "You've always withdrawn near the anniversary of the fire, but this year seems to have taken a toll on you."

"It's just the guilt, mother. Like father said..." Even though he confessed, he still wasn't willing to reveal the possibility that Dante had not died.

She kissed his cheek gently, "Sweetheart, stop blaming yourself. There's no need."

"I...shall try."

She hugged him and stayed beside him until he assured her that he was all right. She left reluctantly and, when she was gone, Sparda spoke, _**Nestling is worried about something else. Something it won't tell father or mother.**_

He looked away.

_**We are here if nestling needs...**_

He nodded and went back to Rebellion, forcing himself to pick it up this time. It was a large sword and one of Sparda's most loyal of blades. The Dark Knight had entrusted it and Yamato to guard his children while they were young. The swords had even allowed the tiny devils to drag them everywhere and teethe on them.

He studied the shine in it. It flashed and Dante's face looked back at him. He stiffened for a moment, before realized it was just his own face. He relaxed and turned to leave. He felt his father's eyes watch him go but ignored him and returned to the library.

After placing the two swords he carried against the table, he searched the shelves. His father held many books on devil magic and the human primitive counterpart. He searched for one on locating and tracking spells.

"I know I saw it somewhere," he muttered after some time searching, "...Father wouldn't be using it, would he?"

Suddenly, he felt something. He froze and looked around. No threat was visible. Was it Sparda? No, Vergil would have recognized the feel of his devil's aura. This was new.

He went to the table and grabbed Yamato. It was pulsing, feeling an enemy nearby. He gripped the hilt and searched. Normally, he wouldn't be worried about the presence of a demon but this demon had gotten through his father's wards and it didn't seem the Dark Knight even noticed.

Vergil slowly started drawing Yamato, the sound of the blade against the hilt being loud in the silence.

"Oooohhhh, is the little Sparda on edge?"

He twitched and scanned the area. The voice echoed all around. He backed slowly until he felt a bookshelf behind him. He hated being cornered but it was the best defence he could have.

"What's wrong? Is wittle Wergie afraid?" A truly insane laugh followed.

He growled, "Show yourself!"

"Oops." He dropped from the ceiling. He was a clown of some sort with a strange demon aura. He was but wasn't a demon.

Yamato's point appeared underneath the clown's chin, "Who are you?"

"Whoa! No need for that point, my lad. I mean you little harm." He laughed, "My name is Jester!" He bowed, "At your service."

He kept Yamato up, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were looking for a certain someone and decided to help."

He hardened.

The clown grinned and disappeared, laughing like a fool. Vergil advanced and spun around. How was he able to laugh that loudly and not draw his parents' attention? He got his answer on the door. A strange mark had appeared there that he didn't recognize.

_A warding?_ He growled, "Hiding behind wards and attacking Sparda's son while he and his mate are nearby? You're either incredibly bold or incredibly foolish."

The clown suddenly appeared beside him, with one pale hand on his shoulder and the other pinching Yamato between his thumb and forefinger, "Just hear me out. You've got nothing to lose, right?"

A part of him dared to consider listening but the rest of him stayed on edge, figuring how best to remove this Jester from existence.

The mad clown grinned, "I know a great deal about you and your little brother. In fact, I know where he is right now."

A slight breath left him, _So, Dante is alive..._

"You want to know, right? What happened that night during the fire? If dear Dante is still alive?"

He growled, "What do you know about that?"

A bang hit the door and Sparda's voice accompanied it, "Vergil!"

Jester flashed a card in front of his face before slipping it in his pocket, "My card. Give a call." He laughed and vanished. The symbol on the door seemed to melt away before Sparda succeeded in kicking it down. He and Eva came in with weapons.

"Vergil, are you all right?" Eva asked.

"I'm fine."

"What was here?" Sparda asked, still in a fighter's stance.

"A demon, of some kind." He turned and noticed Rebellion was missing from the table, "He took Rebellion!"

The laugh echoed, "And now I'll give it back!" He suddenly appeared in a dive and took Vergil by surprise. Rebellion pierced through his abdomen in one swift thrust and pinned him to the black marble floor.

His lungs got caught in the vacuum of sudden pain and shock. He couldn't breathe or move. The sword was embedded deep within him and the floor underneath. He heard his father roar and saw his insectoid form chased the now fleeing clown.

A copper taste came from the corner of his mouth as Eva came to him. He faded into darkness just as she called his name.

_**Dream...**_

He couldn't move again and the puddle's reflection still showed Dante's face. There was a weight on his back now. A weight that was still breathing and struggling as much as he was. Someone else was with him.

The shadow loomed again but, this time, he got a better look at the sword the enemy drew.

_Yamato!_

His sword went through the one on top of him and himself. He yelled in pain as the sharp steel tore through his flesh and muscle. Blood shot violently up his throat and a strange magic gripped his heart, stopping it.

He slipped forward, his head colliding with the ground again. Yamato was twisted before the wielder walked around to his eyesight. He felt the one on him was barely concious and unmoving. He couldn't look up at their assailant, only stare at his blurring feet. He was saying something but his words were slurred to Vergil's ears. Everything faded into black.

He opened his eyes with a gasp. Black was all around him. He was standing in some kind of void. He felt his back and front.

Nothing. No wound and no blood on his clothing.

A cold wind hit him. He looked up and around. Some shapes became visible. They seem to grow out of the darkness itself.

It didn't take him long to realize where he was. It was their old home, burnt to ashes and charred timbers. He stood in the middle of it with moonlight shinning down through a hole in the roof.

"Vergil!"

He jumped and spun around. He knew that voice anywhere, "Dante?"

"Vergil!"

He ran toward the direction he thought he heard him calling from, "Dante, where are you!"

"Help me, Vergil! Please!"

Dante rarely ever said please in his life. He only ever did when he was in serious trouble or trying to kiss up to their parents. He searched the wreckage, but found no sign of him. Suddenly, the building burst into flames again. He jumped back, shielding himself with his arms.

There was a panic in his voice he only heard once before, "VERGIL!"

He ran toward the voice and found himself in the room they had been separated in, under the arch, "Dante! Answer me!"

"Vergil, look out!"

He looked up at a loud cracking sound and saw the archway coming down on him.

"VERGIL!"

_**End dream...**_

Vergil sat up straight and wrapped his arms around the one in front of him in an instant. It was his mother. She shushed him gently as the scream that rose at the dream remained caught in his throat. His body was tense and the devil in him was panicking.

"It's okay Vergil," she soothed as she did when he was young, "You're safe."

His tension released slowly and he relaxed. He was in his room, on his bed. He was still in his ruined clothes and now covered in cold sweat. He shook himself and looked at her, "Where's father?"

"He's still chasing the demon's trail, even though it's long gone by now."

He wiped his forehead, "I see."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm...fine. I'm fine."

"You've been unconscious for a while now. You were having a nightmare of some sort."

"Just a dream, mother. Nothing more."

Sparda entered the room from the balcony doors Vergil had in his room. He was in his devil form still with his fangs bared. The eyes were glowing and showed his want for something to die a very, very painful death. He was more than furious his nestling was injured.

"It got away," he growled out.

"Leave it for now Sparda," Eva said, her hands still on her son's arms.

He sighed and forced himself back into his human form, "Are you all right, Vergil?"

"I'm all right, father."

He still seemed aggravated, "Good. I must continue hunting that demon. He got through all my wards."

"He called himself Jester. He just appeared out of nowhere...How did you know I was in trouble?"

"I felt your devil energies. They were starting to flare. Unless you were performing a ritual, that sign would mean you were fighting a demon."

"There was a strange design on the door. I think it was a ward of some sort, but I have never seen it before."

"I shall have a look." He left.

Eva watched him go with a sigh, "After the fire, he swore he would never allow you to be hurt. He's been so adamant about it, I almost thought he would prevent you from fighting demons."

"I see..."

She turned back to him and kissed his forehead, "Get some rest. You lost a lot of blood. I didn't have the strength to pull Rebellion out of you. I had to call your father back."

He nodded and shed his shirt. The wound had already healed fully but his shirt was ruined.

"Good night, Vergil."

"Good night, mother." He lied down as she turned off the light.

He didn't sleep that night. He was plagued by thoughts of what he had seen in his unconscious state and what Jester had said. He had hinted at Dante's survival, more proof that his brother was alive. He needed to find him.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the card Jester had put in there. It was a joker playing card. A growl went through his throat and he made to throw it in the trash bin beside his bed before stopping. The moonlight flashed on the card and revealed a secret marking. Jester's face made into a sort of stamp and smiling. Nothing seemed all that remarkable about it but a voice told the eldest son of Sparda to hold onto it.

Just in case.

* * *

Eva walked downstairs from Vergil's room. She was troubled about the day's events. First, Vergil doesn't want to train, then she finds out he had been holding guilt for his twin's death all these years, and finally, her son gets attacked by a demon that broke through all of Sparda's most powerful spells.

Her hunter's instincts told her that something was happening. She got the familiar gut wrenching feeling whenever some mad human was trying to gain power or a horde of demons was launching an attack.

_Maybe Sparda would know what's going on_, she thought.

She reached the library door and found him inspecting the inside of it. The floor where Rebellion had gone through Vergil had already mended itself and the blood was cleared. Sparda's enchantments saved a lot of money in damage repair.

"I cannot find a physical trace of the symbol Vergil spoke off," he said when she appeared, "but I don't doubt it was here. I can feel a touch of magic that did not come from my powers."

"That worries me. If this demon could come through your wards so easily..."

"Fear not, milady. I have already increased the wards."

"Do you think that will help Sparda?"

He sighed but did not answer her.

She let out a soft breath of her own, "I told Vergil to get some rest. He's had a long day."

"Indeed, he has...It troubles me that he has blamed himself all these years...I thought he merely missed his twin."

She placed her hands on his arm and shoulder, "Perhaps he'll be better now that he's told us."

"I certainly hope so, milady...His reaction reminds me strongly of my feelings toward my twin. I miss her terribly."

She softened. She had often wondered about his family. He surely had one. She imagined he fell out of their favour along with the rest of the demon world when he rebelled. This was the first time he had mentioned a member of his family...or would it be called something else in the demon world?

She decided to be gentle in her questioning, "Your twin is a girl?"

A soft smile came to his face, "Yes. She was not born very strong and fought hard to survive. She was the only one who shared my belief in what I was doing was right. It was hard to let her go."

She squeezed his shoulder, "I'm sure she'd be happy that you're still breathing."

He nodded, "Yes. I hope she is as well. In any rare trip I've made back to the other world, I never dared go near my father's territory."

She nodded, understanding without needing him to explain. Her thoughts returned to Vergil then, "Dear, while Vergil was unconscious, he was calling Dante's name."

"Was he?"

"Yes. He was almost panicked...I think he feels even more responsible for what happened than we had thought."

"I'll talk with him. Nestlings are closely connected so I knew losing Dante would hurt him...the added, unnecessary guilt seems to have made things worse."

She hugged him. He turned around to hug her back. They both knew raising children wasn't going to be easy for them but they both preferred raising two instead of the one. Even if their missing one was the mastermind behind many schemes.

"Come, milady. Let us rest for the night. It has been a trying day."

She nodded and accepted his guidance to their bedroom. She just hoped whatever was going on wouldn't end badly for their family.

**Hooray for Jester silliness!**

**Review please!**


	9. Rebellion

**VIII**

_**Lady's House, A Week Later**_

Dante had always searched for his family but the last week had seen him do so with increased vigor. Kalina had given him her basement to hide from the police in and he seemed to spend every waking moment (which was a lot for a half-devil) going through old papers and records he got from some of his underground contacts. He had to dig low and quietly to avoid attention. Ever since he fired on the police, they were hell bent on catching him. He even succeeded in becoming near the top of their most wanted. Just a few other, more violent, killers were above him.

He sighed as he thought of that. He hadn't wanted to fire on them and there were no casualties, but fear was a powerful thing. He picked up a file on the Sparda bank. If there was any place to start, his father's business was one of the best.

_So, _he thought, _dad is still in charge of that bank. No address though...He would do it long range. He always did when we were together before. He probably got all overprotective on Verge's butt too._

"Dante?"

He turned, "Oh, hey Lady, what's up?"

"You've been couped down here for a whole week. You need to relax."

A lustful grin immediately crossed his face, "Oh?"

"Not like that!" She growled, "If it's not pizza, it's sex."

"Only with a pretty Lady."

She rolled her eyes, "When I say relax, I mean getting to use Ebony and Ivory."

His interest perked.

"There's been some activity down by the Red Light district. You like hunting, don't you? And the cops will hardly be around there when they're so busy with the warehouse."

He winced a little. The police had searched the warehouse extensively and even questioned Kalina and Lady. Only thanks to a hidden door into a large part of the crawlspace of the house did Dante remain undetected.

He grabbed his pistols from the table and grinned, "Show me where."

_**Some time later, near the Red Light district...**_

The neon signs glowed pink in the night's darkness while the dolled up 'workers' tended to their patrons. Dante grinned at the sight. Everywhere a person looked, there was a barely-covering outfit on beautiful women.

A sharp jab in the ribs stopped his admiration of a particularly stunning blonde, "Hey!"

Lady smirked at him, "I didn't invite you to take in the scenery. Come on." She lead him down an alley to a small basketball court, "This is where the demons have been spotted."

"Who're you getting this from?"

"News reports and a source or two."

"Oh? Have some contacts?"

"A girl's got to in this business."

He was about to respond when he felt it. The pull of a rip in the fabric between two worlds. He grinned and drew his girls, "The party's about to begin."

Prides and Envys appeared and attacked the two instantly. Dante and Lady split up and fired their guns. Lady had trained with Dante for years to battle demons. She carried a variety of high impact guns with her; rapid fire and she had gained pretty good accuracy with them.

Dante stuck with his twin pistols: Ebony and Ivory. The best handguns in the world, in his professional opinion, and they were the only guns so far to withstand his devil strength and speed.

Three Prides fell to his bullets, making a whoop of delight leave his lips. He jumped from a fence and spun in the air, firing off bullets at the demons. He became a demon of death himself, fighting alongside Lady as similar cries of glee came from her.

This was what he lived for. His special addiction. The thrill of flying through the air in a kill or be killed position; of hunting the terrors in the night that normal people wouldn't think are real; and the overall adrenaline that pumped through him whenever he shot off Ebony and Ivory.

To sum it all up in a simple sentence; he loved hunting demons.

Lady had been right when she thought this would relax him. What was going on with him and his family didn't seem to be as important at the moment. Almost as if all his problems were melting away. The battle turned into a short massacre for the young hunters and ended quickly.

Dante flipped and landed beside Lady, "Whew! This is what I live for!" He whooped loudly to the moon, a big grin across his face.

She chuckled at him, "I thought you'd like this."

He wrapped an arm around her and gave her a one-armed hug. She smirked a little and batted him away.

"Get off me."

"Awww, but you're so huggable!"

"I will shoot you."

"It won't kill me."

"I'll still do it."

He sighed, smiling a bit, before some sirens sounded. They both ran through an alley and hid behind a dumpster. The sirens came and went, chasing a small-time drug dealer.

"Come on Dante," Lady said, "Let's get out of here."

They began walking back to Lady's home, keeping off the main roads and from the public eye. The city was in full panic mode for the Red Devil. He hadn't killed since Dante had run from the apartment so tensions were high.

"Have you figured out who the Red Devil is?" Lady asked suddenly.

"No and I'm not sure how to narrow down any kind of search. Any human could make a bargain with the Underworld but barely anyone knows about the Old Religion. Not even most demons know about it."

"You're going to have to find your family then."

"Yep. I'm sure they're around somewhere. Dad's still labelled head of that bank named after him in Germany."

"I see."

"I think he'd been well hidden though. He was always really good about hiding before but he'd be in overprotective mode for Verge's sake."

"How are you going to find them?"

"I'm gonna have to ask around." They turned a corner and stopped. Police cars were parked outside Lady's house, "Crap. Looks like I'm pulling an all nighter."

"I'll cover for you. Get going."

He nodded and jumped up a fire escape. He headed deeper downtown by the rooftops, putting as much distance as he could between himself and Lady's house. When he felt he was far enough, he stopped and looked up at the sky. He wasn't sure what he could do for the night.

A quick look around told him he was in the heart of downtown, on the roof of one of the convenience stores. He laid down on it with his hands behind his head. The sounds of cars and the city dwellers meshed into a whitenoise that almost seemed separate from his world.

He sighed and looked at the moon. The sight of it against the black sky reminded him of times when Sparda would point out the stars to his two sons in the countryside.

_"See that? That's the Ursa Major, or Big Bear."_

_The twins looked up at the stars he pointed at with similair 'oooo' sounds coming from them._

_"And the Ursa Minor, or Little Bear."_

_"You're the Little Bear," the blue twin snickered at his brother._

_"Am not!"_

A grin crossed his face. That comment had turned into a 15 minute wrestling match that resulted in a destroyed garden fence. Eva had not been happy about that, especially when Sparda just said it was normal behaviour and didn't give them trouble for it.

_Mom always got mad when Pop didn't give us trouble_. He almost laughed outright. He figured it was difficult for a human to raise twin half-devil boys in itself. It wouldn't have helped that the father of the twins thought constant fighting, rough housing, and resulting destruction of walls and furniture was natural.

His eyes focused on the blue moon. He missed those fights - well, he missed being able to throw his brother through walls. He was lost in these thoughts for some time before he really noticed that the sky as well as the moon had a touch of blue.

_What?_ He got up and looked around him.

Everything had a blue sheen. It even rivaled the red of his coat. He inspected himself and the area around him again.

"Vergil..."

Suddenly, he felt something start to move inside him. He winced a raised his hands to his head. Something snapped together within him and forced a cry of pain from his mouth. The pain disappeared as quickly as it came and he was left feeling strangely complete, as if he was missing this something before but never realized it. An image flashed before his eyes. It was of a dirt road leading through a thin line of trees and up to a small mansion. The mansion was surrounded by a large forest and small mountains behind the trees. The road was decorated with a black iron gate and elegant limestone pillars. Another, bigger road lead to a garage built separate from the mansion.

He didn't have long to analyze this image before another portal opened above him. Abyss demons sprung from it, swinging their flaming scythes down toward him. He jumped out of the way, drawing his guns and firing. The Abysses fell back with growls and he jumped down into the alley below. He landed with a heavy slam, the ground cracking beneath him. His senses pulled as another portal opened and a horde of Prides ran at him.

He dodged their sudden attacks with some difficulty and unloaded round after round into them. More tears between the worlds opened as he ran and all the Hells of the Demon Army were soon on his tail. He heard people screaming and the roars of the demons. It seemed this attack wasn't just raged on him. The local hunters would soon be out to dispatch the threat - or try to.

Dante found the majority of the demons still following him. They had to be sent by Mundus. He would do anything to capture him again. He spun around and fired at one of the oil barrels the homeless used for warmth at night. It exploded in a fiery tempest and eliminated some nearby Prides and Lusts.

He continued running, trying to get out of the area before the police arrived. He knew they were sure to come and he'd be blamed for it all. Damn ritual serial killer.

He turned a corner to come in direct contact with two Wraths. With a moan, they slammed their pulsing weights to the ground, causing a concussive force that flung Dante back against a wall. He felt it and his spine crack at the force of it. He struggled to recover but failed to do so quickly enough. Demons surrounded him and advanced. He grimaced. There were far too many of them to take down with just Ebony and Ivory and he had no escape route. He needed something suited for close-range battle.

He needed a sword.

They started jumping toward him. He fired and kicked back, some power of the devil inside him responding to his desperate situation. However, he was overwhelmed when an Abyss demon knocked his pistols from his grasp and pinned his arms to the walls.

He growled as he stared into it's red eyes. He could almost hear Mundus' laughter in his mind, taunting him in the fact that he had been captured again.

_No! Not again!_

Instinct took over within him. A voice inside him called out for something and he felt yet another connection in his mind. Something fell from above him and embedded itself in the ground beside him. Dante grabbed it swung it, cleaving the Abyss demon holding him in two. As soon as it was down, he surged forward and attacked the rest of the demons around him. They all fell easily to his strikes and dissolved into the dust and sand shortly after.

When they were all gone, he was left panting against the wall. He took a moment to regain himself before focusing on the massive broadsword held in his hands. A skull and ribcage served as the handle and there were two notches at the tip of the blade. It had responded it his call for it.

_"Vergil," Eva called gently, "Dante. Happy birthday."_

_"Wow!"_

_"Cool."_

_"I want the chocolate!"_

_"No! I want the chocolate!"_

_"Boys," Sparda laughed, "both cakes are chocolate. Now, I have a present for you."_

_"Awesome!"_

_"Sweet!"_

_"Vergil, this is Yamato and, Dante, yours is called Rebellion."_

He lifted the sword he got for his fourth birthday, stunned. It looked as though it should be heavy and cumbersome, but, to him, it was like an extension of his own arm. A faint red aura surrounded it and it seemed to thrum in satisfaction.

A slow smile crossed his face, "Looks like we're back in business."

The smile turned to a grin as he practiced swinging it, destroying a garbage can and a full trash bag in the process. He missed this sword. It thrummed more and reminded him that it was one of his father's devil arms before he weaved spells to give it and Yamato to his sons. They were both loyal devil arms that protected the sons of their former master Sparda.

"So, you've been with dad all this time. Maybe you can help me find him."

It thrummed again. He smiled and picked up his guns, holstering them. Most of the demons were defeated and the remainder were being taken care of by the local hunters and police. As the sirens filled the area, Dante took his chance to leave.

With his old sword back where it belonged, he felt on top of the world and ready for anything. It was as if he regained a lost power. He felt whole.

He thought about this feeling and the one that he felt before the attack started. Rebellion had been what he connected to the second time but what was the first? He couldn't remember any other devil present being given to him other than the sword and the amulet. He had both, so what was the first connection?

The image came to his mind again, _A mansion in the countryside? Well, dad did complain about city noises a lot...and he has enough money for one. We did live in one before it burned too...Maybe that was the twin bond thing again. Guess I gotta find that mansion._

With the commotion downtown, he could easily get back into Lady's home. He made it there quickly and found the police gone. Still, he avoided the front door and slid into the window that lead into the basement.

No one was down there, and he didn't hear anyone up above other than Lady and Kalina. He leaned Rebellion against the wall and journeyed upstairs. He walked into the kitchen to see Kalina white as a ghost and Lady trying to comfort her.

"What happened?" he asked, immediately worried.

"Dante," Lady gasped, rare fear in her eyes, "Arkham escaped from prison!"

"What?"

"The police were here to warn us that he has escaped. They want to put us in protection again."

He hardened, "They'd never be able to stand up to him. If he's out, he'll try to gain power again and come after us. He'll know that we've grown stronger and step up his game - especially against me..."

"What are we going to do?" Kalina asked.

He looked down, giving it some thought. His skill at warding wasn't great. He welcomed demons so it never concerned him much. Lady was strong with guns but, if Arkham's storage was anything to learn from, he had demon magic on his side. She would be at a disadvantage, _I don't know what the hell to do..._

**Review please!**


	10. Rituals

**Some OCs come into play here. ****Also, some fandom may be popping up here and there. It has already appeared in previous chapters and I forgot to make a note of it. Thanks goes to LadyTigerFuyuko for reminding me of that.**

**IX**

_**Sparda Manor**_

Vergil travelled down to the caves Sparda had made under the mansion. There were a variety of different ones. There was one for the devil arms, one for the variety of human weapons, one for a natural spring, one that held a some devil ritual items, a human pantry, a devil pantry, and a large cave that held a statue of the God of Time. All of these could be accessed by a elegant hallway with doors. It all looked natural and rather fitting for an upper class citizen that Sparda made himself to be.

Vergil headed for the ritual room. He needed a vial of demon blood, a paint brush, as well as a couple pieces of luminite. With these in hand, he journeyed to the last room. The statue was the only thing to provide light in the room but it was enough for what Vergil needed.

He placed the items he needed on the table, leaning Yamato against it. He didn't really want to take any chances with this by not having a weapon nearby. He picked up the brush and blood. In front of the statue, he began to paint out an intricate design with the blood. He did it slowly and carefully. One mistake and the ritual wouldn't work. It took him nearly an hour to finish the design and go over it to make sure it was flawless. Once that was done, he took the chunks of luminite and placed them at key points of the diagram.

_If this works_, he thought,_ I should get some more information on Dante._

With the ritual set up, he smiled and went into the devil pantry. This was where Sparda kept his massive amount of orbs. Vergil knew he wouldn't need much for this ritual. It wasn't necessary for the end result so he only took a small amount of red orbs.

He placed them in front of the statue and looked at it for a moment. After some contemplation, he turned and grabbed Yamato. Part of him wondered if this was a good idea. He didn't know what kind of bad consequences this could bring. However, a greater part wanted to know the truth about that night nearly 14 years ago.

He took Jester's card from his pocket and set it down in the center of the design. He then walked to the edge farthest from the statue and faced it.

"Well...here goes nothing," He took a breath, _**God of Time. I offer the blood of mine enemies as a tribute in return for a request. Bring forth the demon that owns this item before me. So, that I may parley with it's being.**_

The red orbs disappeared into the statue and the design glowed red. The red light spread to the luminite and filled the room. A white light appeared in the center and a figure raised up from it. It laughed as it appeared, giving a bow.

"Hello there," Jester grinned.

Vergil hardened, hoping the wards he made earlier would keep Sparda from feeling the power needed for the ritual and the presence of this demon.

"Awww, no hello? Didn't you miss me? After all, we're buddies, aren't we?" He cackled.

He growled, "Enough!"

The laughing stopped abruptly but the sickly grin remained, "Did you think about what I said, kid?"

He glared at him for a moment. This moron had stabbed him through with his brother's sword and some punishment should be in order...however, he claimed to know important information, "What do you know about Dante?"

"Weeeeellllll, you see, little Dante never died as you believed." He giggled and waved his scepter. A dark circle appeared above him. Shadows circled it and the symbol from the card was on it's face. The circle appeared to be some magic of Jester's concoction and changed to show the night of the fire, "Just have a lookie-see."

He watched as the moment where the roof collapsed played out. Dante, pushed on Vergil's back with a mixed expression of determination and fear. At the same moment, a portal opened beneath him and three glowing orbs appeared in it.

"Mundus," Vergil whispered, recalling his father's teachings.

A great white hand surged through the portal and grabbed Dante, pulling him under a second before the beams fell on him. The portal had already closed by the time the five-year old Vergil had a chance to turn around.

"So, Mundus kidnapped Dante that night."

Jester grinned, twirling the septer between his thumb and forefinger, "Yes. Now you got it! Poor wittle Dante was held as Mundus' prisoner while you and the grrrrreat Sparda thought he was dead!" He cackled loudly, throwing his head back.

He struggled to take in what was said. He understood why he didn't feel Dante's presence all those years ago; he wasn't in the same world anymore. Twin bonds were severely weakened when traversing across two worlds and neither son of Sparda was old enough to strengthen the focus of it themselves.

He looked at the laughing clown, "Enough! If Dante is alive, then why is it I've only felt my connection with him this past week? Did he escape the Underworld recently?"

"No! Nononononono. Mundus may have captured your dear brother but he escaped a long, long, looooooonnnnnnggg time ago."

"He did?"

"Yes. He was set free by the Lady Freyja."

"Freyja? Who is Freyja?"

He ignored the question, "Her father was put in charge of the boy and she put him through a portal to the human world, sealing it off and covering his escape. He arrived at the same place he was taken but you were loooonnnnggg gone." He broke off laughing, "The little boy couldn't find his family and was passed from foster home to foster home ever since! Living off the streets and battling for survival to become the young man we see before us!"

He waved his scepter again and an illusion of some kind appeared in the center of the circle. A red coat, black shirt, dark-blue jeans, boots and a silver amulet. Dante seemed to have let his hair grow out to reach his shoulders for a somewhat shaggy appearance. He stood with a handgun in each hand and a look that revealed the truth behind Jester's words. His face and eyes were the same but he appeared rougher somehow. Not with any scars or weary appearances. Just the feel around him suggested he had fought for a long time.

The illusion vanished and Jester grinned, "So what are you going to do, kid? Are you going to go after your dear wittle brother? You should probably know that he's in danger."

"Danger?" He asked before he could stop himself.

He nodded, "He's in biiiigggg twouble and will get real hurt real bad _reeeaaallll_ soon."

His eyes glowed, "What do you mean?"

"The big scary demons coming after him and will use him as a sacrifice!...But you know that, don't you? You've _seen_ it."

He growled, reaching for Yamato.

"So, I think you'd better hurrryyyyy." He started waving over his head in an exaggerated manner. First, just his arm, then his whole upper body, before turning around and slapping his rear before disappearing in a puff of smoke, "Wholololololololololololo!"

The design was gone, as was the luminite and Jester's card.

He just stood there, wondering what to do. If the demon's words were true, then Dante was in serious trouble...and still alive. He didn't know how to tell his parents. Not that Sparda would trust the word of the demon that stabbed his nestling.

Plus, he wasn't sure how this news would affect him. He had always held himself a failure for losing one of his brood. To learn of the lost one's survival...

His eyes lowered to the ground. The possibility of Dante's survival had shown itself to be a doubled-edged sword. He blinked, wishing he had just been honest with his father at the start.

Suddenly, his vision changed. The grey rock that served as the structure of the room suddenly turned red. He looked around slowly. Even Yamato's sheath was dyed the colour red. He raised his hand as he felt something move inside him. It connected painfully, making him wince and let out a small cry. Then, it was gone and he felt complete. As if reunited with something long lost.

An image flashed before him of a dead body. Hands were putting the body down before they turned around slowly to see them covered in blood. Even the black, fingerless gloves and red coat sleeves were dyed with blood.

_Dante?_

The vision disappeared. A small sigh left him. He was sure his brother was alive now. That was the twin bond reconnecting. He had read before that the bond between nestlings could weaken over time if they were separated for a long period. It could also be reconnected if the twins were near to each other. It seemed as though that was what had just occurred.

He turned and left the room. Finding Dante would be a difficult task. Even if their link had reconnected...He walked upstairs and into the living room. Sparda was doing business and Eva was shopping so he was left to his own devices for a while. He turned on the TV.

The news was on.

"...Last night's attack is believed to have been spawned by the Red Devil. A new crime scene was discovered in the very center of the danger area and the prime suspect was seen leaving the scene."

A photo of the scene came on the screen. Blood was everywhere and painted into strange symbols. Demon symbols. Normally, he wouldn't pay a thought to markings made by humans but these were strange. More arcane and...he didn't recognize a single one of them. Sparda had taught his son almost all of the ritual symbols while he had read up on the rest.

"Thanks to a photo taken by a citizen, we can now give you a visual of the suspect. If seen, please notify police."

A picture came on the screen. It was of Dante, just as Jester had showed him. He was running down a street, looking as though he was trying to escape without being noticed. The picture was slightly blurred and his hair was covering his face. The thing was, he was holding a large sword in his right hand.

"Rebellion?" he frowned, "How did Dante get it?"

The reported went on with the next story while he thought.

_Dante wouldn't be the one killing humans. He ran crying to mother when he accidentlly shot a rabbit...Perhaps this Red Devil is what Jester said is after Dante. I should ask father about this._

He got up and journeyed to his father's study. Sparda was filing his papers when he arrived.

"Vergil? Does something trouble you, son?"

"I saw a news report about a killer called the Red Devil," he said, avoiding any information on Dante for now, "Have you been looking into that?"

"I've heard rumours but haven't been able to do much about it. Too much attention would be a bad thing right now. I have been feeling the presence of a few foes I would rather not come in contact with."

"The symbols I saw father...they weren't ones that I recognized. I think something is happening...Something bad."

Sparda turned to look at him and noticed the serious expression, "You truly believe this human posses that much of a threat?"

"The symbols were arcanic. Older than what you have shown me and nothing has happened from them yet. What if this human is building a large spell?"

He nodded slowly and thoughtfully, "I had hoped this human was merely an amateur but the oldest runes are the hardest to achieve. If done right...I shall look into this with greater detail." He sighed, "I sometimes believe I have become too confident in my age. I have been focused on other things than the dark acts between humans and demons as of late."

"You're entitled to some confidence. You've toppled an empire and kept the human world safe for centuries."

He smiled and patted his shoulder, "Confidence can come back to bite you, if you are not cautious."

He gave a half-smile, "Very true, father."

He felt an affectionate squeeze, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. The wound is fully healed now."

"That was not what I meant."

He lowered his gaze, "I feel better now that you and mother know...but a part of me still feels like I have failed."

"You did not." He pulled him into a hug, one hand digging slightly in his hair, "We all make choices Vergil. Remember that."

He nodded as much as he could with his father's fingers digging into his scalp. The flow of devil energy was soothing and relaxed him. Pain and comfort walked hand in hand in the demon world.

He pulled back after a moment. The question was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't bring himself to ask it.

"Your mother and I are going to go out in a few nights. You will have the house to yourself for a while."

"All right."

"For the moment, however, let us continue with training."

He smiled and nodded.

* * *

_**Downtown, at the latest Red Devil Crimescene**_

The humans were shying from the area as if it was plagued. Even the law officials were hesitant to move into the scene. Not that there was much cause to do otherwise. The demon attack claimed many and it had been many years since an attack of that size hit the humans. Curiousity ruled however, and served to make some humans venture close. Police kept them at bay behind the yellow tape.

No one noticed as a woman entered the building. She walked up the deserted staircase and into the apartment that resided above the convience store. The stench of blood, rotting human flesh, and ritual magic was heavy in the air.

She walked to the middle of the room, observing the area. She was a beautiful woman; young appearance, long, white hair, deep-blue eyes, and a slim body. She wore a simple lavender turtle-neck sweater and black pants. The look gave off an air of regal nature and confidence, even though it was such simple attire. She wasn't someone to mess about with.

She had been to every Red Devil crime scene so far and observed details the law officials missed. Her senses told her this wasn't devil-made, but the human who did make it was not to be taken lightly.

"I'm surprised Sparda hasn't taken care of this yet," she said thoughtfully, inspecting one of the runes.

"My Lady."

She turned to look at the smiling man standing in the doorway. She returned the smile out of respect, "You've adapted to human advancements well, Mathius. You look good in sunglasses. Much better than the cloth you tied around your head in the past."

The blind man chuckled and took a couple steps in, his cane tapping the area in front of him, "You haven't changed, my Lady."

"I have felt no need." She went about inspecting the arcane runes, touching her fingers to some to feel the level of power, "Tell me, what brings one of your kind here? I thought you were mere observers."

"We intervene when it is necessary, my Lady."

"I see...Tell me, how is Sparda doing?"

"He is well. He is living safely with his mate and elder nestling."

She stopped and turned to him, "Just the elder?"

"Yes. The younger could not find his family when he returned to this world. He has lived on the streets and in foster homes since."

"Hmmm..."

"Does this news upset you?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps I am just protective..._You_ would not be here unless it suited you Mathius. What is your business for seeking me out?"

"You have been versed in the Old Religion. You know what act is being unleashed. Are you willing to do what it takes to stop it?"

She remained silent. She hated conversing with these creatures - especially Mathius. They were devious and loved to toy with human and devil alike for their own amusement. One had to speak in riddles and hide emotions carefully.

"I have met him, you know. Young Dante Sparda."

She looked at him, eyes glowing red, "You better not have hurt him."

He chuckled, "My Lady, what could I do to a half-bred? I am blind and weak. Even with his reckless nature, I would not be able to touch him."

She snarled, "Your kind has it's ways of destruction. If I discover that any of you have so much as _thought_ of harming him..."

"We are aware of what you could do."

"I bet you are."

"Fear not. None of us will harm him or any Sparda. Be assured of that."

She turned back to the runes on the walls before looking at the diagram in the center of the room. A large bloodstain was in the center but the body was long gone. She knelt down beside the design and studied it's layout. A very intricate and complex one. It served it's purpose well. The ritual was increased and allowed a rift to open. Many demons were sent out. Only a being with extreme concentration and devotion to this magic could accomplish such a task.

"He is gaining power, my Lady. Soon, even Sparda won't be able to stand against him."

"But his sons will."

"You have that much faith in them?"

"They are like their father." She stood, "When the time comes, they will be there to keep the human domain free of my kind."

"You are a rare demon, my Lady. Worrying about the safety of humans? Especially with a father such as yours."

She looked out of the nearby window, intending to ignore him. Dark clouds were on the horizon, _Sparda...I hope your nestlings will truly be able to do what needs to be done. If not...both worlds will be ruled by demons._

**Review please!**


	11. Brothers

**Some points of the anime are coming into this story as well. I haven't decided yet if I'll put in the characters from the anime yet (Modius, Morrison, Patty, etc.) but some small details will appear for certain.**

**Extra long chapter today for everyone. Got a great idea for the ending and couldn't pass it up.**

**X**

_**City Limits, Bus Station**_

Dante looked at the bus map. Only one really went out of town. He shifted the weight on his back. Lady had found him a guitar case big enough to hide Rebellion in, saying a sword would draw too much attention. He had hidden Ebony and his amulet in there as well. Ivory remained quietly in the back of his jeans, just in case.

After seeing the vision of the countryside mansion, he decided the best place to start looking for it was outside the city he was in. There was one nearby. Nameless and with no connections to anything that he could find. Perhaps there were some bills somewhere but Sparda more than likely had them routed through his bank.

He had taken part of the day in order to make sure Lady and Kalina were safe, making up some small wards and praying they were enough of a protection until he could get them to his father.

He looked at the different routes for the buses. There were a bunch of them and none seemed to go quite that far.

_Well, maybe I can walk the rest of the way_, he figured, scratching his head through the hoodie he was wearing.

He had opted to wear a completely different attire for his search. The police had grown accustomed to his usual clothing. It wasn't entirely different - at least the colour scheme was the same. A red hoodie and black jeans. It matched his guitar case anyway.

"So, I guess I have to take the red bus..." he muttered.

He turned and looked around. A bunch of people were waiting and getting on to various buses. He couldn't really tell them apart.

"Huh..."

He resolved to sit and wait. He sat down on one of the benches and leaned agaisnt the station wall. Time passed slowly and many people came and went. Dante began to wonder how he was supposed to move on from this point when he couldn't tell the buses apart. Every moment he spent in one spot increased his chances of the police finding him as well. Even now he was wary of eyes on him.

A bus pulled up beside him and the doors opened. He grew confused as it wasn't the loading zone and that area was empty. An old man smiled at him from the driver's seat, "Come along, lad. Time's wastin' here."

He blinked, certain the man spoke to him. Caution ate at his mind but some other power made him get up and walk toward the bus. Just as he was about to step onto it, a voice sounded behind him.

"You there! In the red sweater!"

He stopped, not needing to turn around to know a policeman's gun was on him.

"Turn around."

His mind reeled. What was he to do?

"Now see here," said the bus driver, "this lad hasn't done anything wrong."

The officer would not be detered, "He is a known suspect-"

"I don't care who you believe he is. He has been my passenger for the last 3 hours. I just let him off to deliever a letter. Now, if you don't mind, we've got many more stops to make and I need to be on schedule."

Dante turned his head slightly, "Can I go now?"

The officer seemed to relax, "Fine. Go."

He nodded and got on the bus. He looked at the driver, "I don't have a ticket or anything."

"I know. Have a seat."

He sat down near the front. A couple other passengers were on board but none seemed to pay him attention. He placed the guitar case next to him and stared out the window. The bus was already moving. It was a muticity bus, covering most of the surrounding area as well as a bit of the city. Dante didn't remember seeing it but anything that got him out of the city was good. Plus, the driver did help him.

He watched the passing scenery with dull interest. It was as if he could feel something pull on him, making him withdraw from awareness. He rested his head against the glass and began to drift off. Something kept him from falling asleep, forcing him to stay on the brink between sleep and the real world.

An eternity seemed to pass for him while he was like this. It wasn't until after a long series of stops that he began to take in his surroundings again and return to full alertness. The scene he saw outside the window shocked him: limestone pillers and a black iron gate.

"End of the line lad."

He turned to look at the driver. Everyone had left the bus and it was just the two of them. It was getting dark now.

He pulled Rebellion a little closer, "How did you know I was coming here?"

He merely smiled and opened the doors, motioning for him to get out. He got up slowly and swung the case over his shoulder. He began to walk off the bus when he felt something. His eyes recognized it and spun to look at the driver.

"You're-"

He held up his hand, "Tell your father the Oracles send their regards."

He blinked, "Uh, yeah. Sure. Whatever." He turned and left the bus.

"Good luck, Dante Sparda." The doors closed and the bus drove off down the road.

He watched it go before turning and looking at the mansion from his vision. Was this where his family had been all this time? He absently strapped his holsters to his legs and placed Ebony and Ivory in their appointed spots. He felt better with them on, even if he was at his family's home.

He took a breath and began walking forward. Instantly, he felt them. His father's wards. They were strong but yeilded to him immediately.

_He wouldn't want them to hurt Verge and we have the same blood_, he guessed.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders. He was nervous. Back after how many years?

He cast a glance at the garage, finding the door open and no vehicle present. It didn't seem like anyone was home. He stopped, _Would they mind if I waltz in? Or would the old man have put something nasty on the lock?_

Suddenly, he saw something. For a moment, there was a flash of blue in the trees behind the mansion.

"Was that...?" A flash of excitement ran through him and he chased after it, running around the mansion and into the forest.

He caught a whiff of his brother's scent, recognizing it instantly, and picked up speed. It had been a while since they had chased each other.

He noted how much better his twin had become. As he followed the scent, he was able to catch the faintest glimpses of blue darting around trees and over rocks and logs with the highest amount of grace and agility. The thought of this challenge sent a thrill through Dante as he pushed himself to go faster. Vergil had a head start on him and he always was faster.

He sensed his brother's awareness of something chasing him and watched as he abruptly changed direction.

A grin, _That's right. Keep on running Verge. I'll get you this time._

The chase went on for another couple minutes before Dante noticed something else in the corner of his eye. A flash of dark smoke. A feeling of dread settled in him as he realized what it was. Or more, what _they_ were. Vanguards. And they were hunting Vergil!

A protective panic flooded him and he called upon the devil energies inside him to become a blur, trying to get to his brother before the demons did. He didn't know whether he had Yamato with him and Vanguards were too powerful to go against unarmed.

Vergil didn't show any signs that he had noticed additional pursuers and, for once, Dante growled at his brother's lack of focus.

_Why the hell does he have to relax now?_ he thought desperately.

He managed to get near Vergil and watched as he looked behind him. Their eyes met and everything seemed to go into slow motion. In an instant, they both knew the entire situation and how to get out of it.

Dante grabbed his pistols and spun to point them at the Vanguards behind them. At the same time, he heard the familair slice of Yamato as it came from it's sheath.

A slightly relieved grin crossed his face, _Shoulda known he would never go out alone without that sword_.

The Sparda brothers attacked their foes and stood carefully once the closest were defeated. Dante felt Vergil's back against the case while more demons came out of the forest shadows to surround them.

"Who did you piss off to get Vanguards on your tail?" A cool voice asked him.

He drew Rebellion swiftly, leaving it's case on the ground, "They were after you," he retorted with a grin, "not me."

A sigh, "Getting me in trouble again. I don't know why I missed you."

He heard the grin in that statement, "Likewise, big bro. Now let's do this."

They surged forward. The attack was relatively small and the battle short. Only a few lesser demons followed the Vanguards. There weren't even any Abyss demons. Dante flipped through the air, keeping an eye on Vergil. Everytime he looked at him, he noted the eyes watching him as well. It seemed they were both wary of the other.

They made a hell of a team. Any time Yamato flipped a demon over or knocked it back, Ebony and Ivory would finish it off with a perfect headshot. Dante funnelled all his power into his shots, trying to take out the Vanguards with single shots. As much fun as this fighting was, he wanted to spend time with his family again. His slashes timed perfectly with Yamato's while both swords battled with satisfaction. The sons of Sparda were complete.

The battle ended soon with not one demon left standing or making a successful escape back to the Underworld. When it was done, Dante holstered his guns and slowly turned around. Vergil was staring at him. He stared back.

The expression was the same, as were the eyes, hair colour, face...

They stood only a few feet apart, both struggling. To any who may have seen them, they would have thought the brothers were having a silent battle of wills with each other.

Then, it happened.

Neither could recall who moved first but they strode toward each other and grabbed the other's shirt. Their fronts collided with enough force to crack ribs and their arms gripped each other as if the other was dying.

Dante felt Vergil's hand dig into his hair, a gesture he recalled devils doing to only family members. He crushed his brother against him, trying to still his sudden shaking. Why was he losing himself so fast? He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the flow of tears he felt coming.

He remembered when they were young, keeping close to each other and never straying. The best of friends. The closest of brothers.

Vergil was shaking and squeezing him more and more. It almost felt as though his spine was breaking. Dante increased his hold as a response. A grin crossed his face as he felt the pressure double in his scalp and spine. They continued this exchange until notable cracks had sounded from the pair of them. A similair laugh left their mouths and they let go.

Dante rubbed his ribs as the bones knitted themselves back together. He placed Rebellion back into the case and slung it over his shoulder.

A small smile crossed his face, "Missed you, big bro."

Vergil smiled back, "Missed you too. Come on. Mother and father are out for the night."

"'Mother and father?' Geez, what is it with you and all that fancy crap. Even when we were kids."

He rolled his eyes and hit him with Yamato's sheath, starting back toward the mansion. Dante trotted to catch up and walked beside him with a grin.

"Not bad for a 'heart warming family reunion, huh? Slaying demons and stuff like that."

His twin gave a small laugh before his smile faded, "I'm sorry Dante."

"Sorry? I didn't even know you knew that word."

"Shut it."

They went on in silence for a bit before Dante realized his brother wasn't all that happy. He was hunching and he could feel frustration and conflict in his energies, _Wait, what the hell was he sorry about?_

He was about to ask when the forest line appeared and they were out of the trees. The mansion loomed up with a warm light. He began hunching a little again. A part of him was nervous.

"You'll get a bad back if you keep hunching like that."

He shot a glare at Vergil, "Shut it."

He chuckled and lead him up to the door. The garage door was still open so it appeared to be just the twins for a while.

Vergil lead him inside and closed the door behind him. Dante kicked off his boots and shrugged off the case.

"So," he started, "how's my big bro been holding up?"

A smirk, "Better than you. I saw the news."

He put on a sheepish look, "Heard about that, did you?"

"Red Devil?"

He gave a nervous look, "It's not what it looks like. I just happened to be there when that killer was."

"Always in the wrong place at the wrong time, aren't you?"

"Aw, c'mon Verge, don't be mean."

He scoffed before looking at him seriously, "Do you need help Dante?"

He sobered, "Yeah...something big is happening. Something big and bad. Dad's gonna have to get involved too. Probably mom as well."

"That bad?"

"Yeah. From what I found out, another demon war is coming. There's this old devil magic that could let Mundus through."

He blinked, "That's impossible Dante. Father sealed off the path between worlds."

"But this he didn't know about." He picked out the books he got from Arkham's storage, "Take a look." He tossed them to his brother.

Vergil caught them and opened the first one. His expression fell further and further as he looked over the pages.

"This magic is supposed to have been forgotten a long, long time ago. Before dad was born."

"Father isn't going to be happy about this."

"Well, sorry for being the barer of bad news...can you read it all bro? I can't. Gramps' lessons sucked."

"Gramps? You met our grandfather?"

"Yeah but he didn't want to meet me. He snarled at me and I really did think he was going to kill me. Mundus ordered that I was taught by him. It was the only order of his I actually liked."

He seemed impressed, "Father won't say anything about him - or anyone from his family."

"I'm not really surprised. Gramps was a hardass. He kept going on and on about how I was the spawn of a worthless, traitorous insect that had no right to live."

"...Wow."

"Yeah...I kinda don't want to tell dad about it, y'know?"

He nodded.

* * *

Vergil felt rage at what Dante had told him. Their grandfather had no right to say Sparda didn't have the right to live. He was a proud and noble demon, with more humanity than most humans. He took a breath and opened the book again.

The arcane symbols were described on some of the pages but this was written in Noble Demonscript. His lessons on the writtings on got him so far. He would have to get Sparda to translate it.

"Have you been looking for me?"

He looked up to see the puppydog curious look his twin always had when they were little. He stared calmly at him, "You've felt our connection as well?"

"Yeah. I was hoping it was you. A few nights ago, it kinda snapped painfully." He scratched his hair in that confused way that always ended with Vergil labelling him an idoit.

"That was it reconnecting. Twin bonds can fade over the years and ours would have been all but severed the moment you were pulled into the demon realm." He turned and walked into the kitchen.

He heard his brother's heavy footfalls as he followed him, "So, why did it reconnect? I've been in the city the last couple years and I didn't feel it before."

"It can take time. We all thought you were dead as well. That could have been a factor."

"Uh huh." He sat at the table, folding his arms on the table.

An uncomfortable silence settled. It seemed even brothers could succumb to unease.

"So...did you stick Yamato in a light socket?"

He blinked and pulled a face, "What?"

A smirk and playful shrug, "With your hair standing up like that, I thought you were electrocuted."

"I chose this style!"

"Soooo, you got electrocuted on purpose?"

"I did not!" At this, his usual calm demenour faded and he threw the books at Dante's head.

They collided and he threw them back. That was how it started - how it always started. Dante would taunt Vergil to the point of no return and the blue son of Sparda would launch himself.

It was a pradictable cycle. In reality, Vergil wondered why it had taken his brother so long to start it up again, but, instead, he just tackled him off the chair.

Yamato, Rebellion, and Dante's guns were left out of this. The two half-devils grabbed each other and snarled, growled, punched, jumped, kicked, and wrestled all through the kitchen. Chairs were knocked over in the process and a table leg was destroyed. One of the cuboards was snapped in half and the stove was dented.

Then, the fight went into the hallway. Dante rolled down it and sprang up, running up the wall and flipping over the railing.

"Ha ha Verge!" he taunted, "Can't catch me!"

He growled and put into practice a move he had been developing. A teleportation of sorts that brought him in range of Dante. He tackled his laughing, imbecile of a brother into the guest room, kicking out to make him fly into the wall.

Dante retaliated by surging back at him and throwing him through the wall into the next room, which happened to be the bathroom. The bathtub smashing under the force and weight of the two was loud and a chunk of it hit the mirror, cracking it. The tub's facet broke off completely and was sent through the wall leading outside.

"Ha ha! Seven years of bad luck for you!" the red one snickered.

"I'll show you bad luck!" He punched his chest, sending him out the door and into their parents room.

How they managed to destroy that room and not get hit by one of their father's swords remains a mystery.

* * *

The date had gone on fine, considering. There had been only one demon attack and it was in an alley so no one saw.

Eva smiled to herself as she watched the familiar countryside passby. Being the wife/ mate of a powerful demon had it's share of baggage. True, he could fight off anything but he shrugged of still-bleeding wounds as if they were nothing. Thank God the demon had attacked after dinner. It was much better that he was bleeding all over the car seat instead of the fancy chairs at the restaurant Sparda had taken her to. Sacred blades seemed to pack a punch on devils as powerful as Sparda as well as lesser demons.

The dinner was delicious. She had her favourite with a chocolate lava cake for desert. Who said she couldn't enjoy anything good now and then? Sparda had a slab of meat. She had to call it that instead of the 'Angus Steak' the menu called it. He had barely let heat see it. It probably would have given a human some kind of food poisoning for how undercooked it was. He had simply shrugged and said his system could handle it. She knew he was referring to demon upbringing and had an image of him tearing into the steak like a lion in her head for the rest of the night.

"I wonder if Vergil has gone to bed yet," Sparda mused, "I've noticed he does when we are not around."

"He is still young Sparda. Didn't you say that nestlings sleep constantly for nearly a decade in the Underworld?"

"Very true. I had merely thought he would not be so with human blood within him."

"He did sleep a lot when he was a baby-even for babies. Remember he and Dante had to be pulled out of preschool. They fought during naptime and slept during playtime."

"Pfft. Humans just do not understand. You cannot schedule a young, growing being. It is simply not done."

She laughed at his response. There were a lot of things humans did that didn't seem to make sense to him. It was one of the joys it brought her. Perhaps she was being a bit cruel for laughing at him but she just put it under her 'wifely duties.'

"To be honest, my Lady, I am worried."

"About what Sparda?" Whenever he started with _to be honest_, she knew it was important. Demons valued deception and underhanded nature. Honesty was frowned on more than anything.

"Vergil."

She let out a soft sigh, "You mean about his guilt for Dante?"

"More than that. He is hiding something from us. I am not sure what."

"A lot of human boys have secrets, Sparda. He and Dante even had their own language."

"True but something tells me this is another secret about Dante."

"Something tells you? You're not usually one to go on gut feelings. That's more a human's area."

He glanced at her and she smiled with a raised eyebrow. An appreciative smile crossed his face, "Perhaps it is more instinct."

"He'll tell us when he's ready."

He sighed, "How are you able to stay calm, Eva? Especially after how emotional he became before."

"I think part of that was us trapping him. You said demons are like animals. They don't like being caged."

He sighed again and began to drive up the driveway, "Perhaps you are right."

They looked up at the house to see the kitchen lights on. Vergil was still awake. Suddenly, a resounding crashed echoed through the night and the upstairs wall broke, a chunk of something flying out.

Sparda stopped the car instantly and stared in shock. Eva got out of the car and ran into the house. She heard him follow her and they burst through the door. Part of the hallway had seen a light battle: the rug was moved and a vase was now tettering on the edge of it's pedastel. The kitchen was destroyed and the paint on the wall by the upstairs railing was cracked.

The guest room door was broken open and so were the walls between the bathroom and their room. Laughter could be heard from upstairs but it didn't belong to their son's and it was human.

A thousand things were running through her mind. Was he hurt? Why couldn't they hear his voice? Did Sparda feel his presence? What if it was a demon disguised as a human? Was it sent by Mundus? How did it get through all of Sparda's wards?

She felt her panic rising, desperate to find out if her son was okay. Suddenly, a yell sounded and two bodies flew down the stairs. One was defidently Vergil but she could barely tell. Flashes of white, red, and blue marked the two as they hit a couple steps and landed right in front of her's and Sparda's feet.

The two looked up and the Sparda parents gasped. They both had the same face. Vergil was on his stomach with his twin's arm wrapped around his neck in a headlock. The twin was half on him and wearing...red.

She slowly looked at Sparda. His eyes were on the second, a mixture of shock and disbelief on his face. She looked back at the two, her heart still and mind blank. The two faces of the children she bore looked up at her with an identical expression of surprise and shock.

Many different things could have happened at this point: a tearful reunion, a scolding for destroying part of the house, a bombardment of questions at the red twin...but fate decided to repeat history as two voices shouted at the same time.

"He started it!"

**I couldn't resist that idea for a reunion. No better way than through the damage of rough housing :)**

**Review please!**


	12. Instinct

**So sorry about the late update! Work has been sapping my creative moods and taking up my writing time.**

**XI**

"I didn't start it! You did!"

"I did not!"

"You threw books at me!"

"You were mocking me!"

The fight started up instantly and with increased vigor. Vergil threw his head back to hit Dante's forehead. He lost his headlock as he felt the bridge of his nose crack. His brother spun and kicked him into the wall. A vase smashed beside him before he was forced through the wall.

He felt a chair break under his back and heard some rattling somewhere before he punched out. Even though they were in the middle of an argument, he was grinning wildly and loving the familier feel of fighting with Vergil.

A table and five other chairs were destroyed before claws grabbed onto the twins' collars. The talon-like fingers were large enough to encompass their throats without choking them too much.

The fighting ceased instantly as the half-devils caught sight of the look in Sparda's glowing eyes. His voice rumbled deeply, "Gentlemen. I do not care who started it, but, if it continues any longer, I am going to finish it. Understood?"

Both flinched with a glance at each other.

"Yes, dad."

"Understood, father."

He nodded and put them down, morphing his form back into a human appearance at the same time, "Now. Some questions need to be answered. Let us sit down before you destroy any more of the house."

A loud crash came from beyond the hallway, accompanied by the floor vibrating. When the Spardas looked out, they saw the bathtub, and the floor underneath it, had fallen down into the library. It appeared the brothers' tussel had compromised the floor's strength at just the right spot to create a crack all the way around the heavy fixture.

Eva and Sparda stood, shocked, as the water dripped from the broken pipes and flooded the lower floor. Dante looked up at the hole, seeing his life replaying and grinned. A laugh erupted from him.

Vergil glared at him, hissing, "You are _not _laughing at this!"

He bit his tongue, remembering something like this would have gotten them shot with Luce in the past. It wasn't too difficult to imagine what they would get while being more developed devils. However, he couldn't hold it in and started laughing.

"Just _what _is so funny, young man?" Eva's stern voice rang over his laughter.

He shook his head, laughing too much to answer properly.

"Answer your mother, Dante," Sparda ordered.

He forced himself to calm down, grinning, "It's just, I expected twenty questions and some kinda ritual put on me. Instead, all I had to do was destroy the house to show you I'm really Dante!" He started howling again, finding the whole situation hilarious, "It's like I never left!"

Over his laughter, he heard some chuckles coming from beside him and felt the spark of amusement from his father. He wrapped his arms around his stomach in order to keep his sides from splitting.

After a moment, he calmed down and grinned at his parents, "Sorry I broke the tub."

Eva sighed and came to hug him, "It's fine dear. Your father's spells will heal the house, but don't do it again. Vergil spends a lot of time in here."

"Pfft. Bookworm."

"Uncontrollable brat," the blue twn retorted.

"Gentlemen," Sparda warned.

They clamped their mouths shut, grinning at each other.

"Well then," Eva said brightly, looking more amused then she probably should have been with her bathtub relocated to the library, "I think this calls for a special, late-night dinner. Something, perhaps, with cheese and pepperoni?"

Dante's eyes lit up and he grabbed her in a hug, lifting her a little off the floor, "I loooovvvee my mommy!"

* * *

_**Morning...**_

Eva walked down the hallway in the early light. The house had already fixed itself with a little help from Sparda where the bathtub was concerned. Golden light flittered in through the curtains as she made her way to her sons' rooms.

Because the guest room had been completely destroyed and the second one was being used as storage for some of Sparda's war trophies, Dante was given a room they had been developing. It was across the hall from his brother's. She opened the door a little and peaked in.

The sight was enough to make her laugh quietly. There was no bedframe in the room but Dante had said he was fine with just a mattress. They put one in there that hadn't been destroyed and he slept all the night through - even with his body moving all night.

She smiled as she felt the presence of hands on her waist, "He always did have an excessive amount of energy."

A chuckle. After nearly two decades of marriage, she was used to Sparda's ability to seemingly appear out of thin air. Devils were light on their feet when they wanted to be.

He adjusted his monocle, "I must say, that position of his does not look entirely comfortable."

She grinned, observing what he meant. Dante was more than just a mover in his sleep. He had managed to maneouver half of his body off the mattress and onto the floor, making a straight 90 degree angle with the bed. He had taken his shirt off and she could see the waistband of his jeans above the edge of the blanket that had tangled his legs completely. His arms were bent around his head to make him look like he had been thrown onto the floor. He had a light snore and his hair was touselled enough to be more on the carpet than his head.

"I understand some humans can sleep at the oddest angles but his back will be terribly sore. After all, that is a box spring mattress."

"It's no worse than some of the positions you enter when you're asleep," she whispered, "You could be very popular in yoga."

A confused note entered his voice, "I always wake up straight."

"But you never sleep straight. One of the reasons I'm thankful for the large bed. You devils have a need to be on someone most of the time."

He chuckled and hugged her, "Blame it on small nests. Nestlings tend to fight for space when they are growing."

She smiled and studied Dante a few moments more, "Sparda...is he really Dante? They explained everything last night but..."

She felt him nod in understanding, "The scent is identical to Vergil's but there are small differences. Gunpowder mostly and screet scents...There is a faint hint of the Underworld. It would only be this faint if he had been out of it for many years. If this was a clone of Mundus' creation, the scent would be much stronger."

"So, it really is him?"

He smiled, "I feel it is, milady. It would have been the only way he could pass through my wards and for Vergil to accept him so completely..." He sighed softly and whispered, "There were portals opening all over the house that night...I should have guessed he would have fallen or had been pulled into one."

Tears came into her eyes, "All these years...and he was alive."

He hugged her more, squeezing her slightly, "I believe this is what Vergil has been hiding. With Dante close, he would have felt him through their bond."

"I see. Why would he hide that from us?"

"I do not know. I shall ask him later."

"Be gentle Sparda."

"I will, milady." He raised his head, "There are demons in the area. They must have followed Dante. I shall return shortly." He picked up a sword that hung as a decoration and headed toward the front door.

She watched him go before going to the kitchen and making him his tea. She thought she should be happy. Her lost son was back and just as wild as ever. He was fine and sleeping safely with the heart of his father's domain. However, a voice cautioned her in the back of her mind.

_Nothing comes easy._

One of the most truthful sentences in all the world. Being a human devil hunter came with an almost nonexsistant life expectancy; giving birth to half-devil children brought about the most painful birthing ever experienced (even with Sparda's spells); and marrying Sparda and bearing his children came with the most powerful enemies in two worlds.

Something else was going to happen or was already happening. Something that forced Dante to seek them out after so many years. Her instincts screamed this and they were never wrong before.

She looked out the window to see a tree fall down. It looked like her husband had a lot on his mind as well.

* * *

His back throbbed a bit and the light shone in his eyes. He groaned and rolled over. The room was plain white and in the process of being decorated. Only the matress his legs were on and Rebellion's case was in the room.

_Where am I?_ he wondered, putting a hand up to block the light. He turned his head to see the door open and remembered with a grin, "That's right."

He kicked off the blanket and got up, smiling. His back was a little sore but the thought of a day with his family pushed that feeling away. He wasn't into sentimental crap but it was one of the things he missed.

Content with that thought, he made his way downstairs. The mansion wasn't huge but a little bigger than the one that burned down. Easy to navigate though. He walked down the stairs, noticing that the rooms he destroyed were fully repaired.

He found his mother in the kitchen, staring intently out a window, "You know, your reflection's not gonna do anything if you just glare at it, mom."

She let out a soft laugh and turned to him, "Good morning to you too, Dante. Did you sleep well?"

"I always sleep well after pizza."

She laughed louder and kissed his cheek, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Cold pizza."

She rolled her eyes and slapped his cheek lightly, "I swear, your father and I have spent more money on pizza then the cost of the morgage."

He grinned, "Missed you too mom."

"I'll make you some bacon and eggs. Growing boys need their strength."

He sat down and noticed Arkham's books had been put neatly on the kitchen table. He wondered if Sparda had read them yet. Speaking of which, "Where's dad?"

"He sensed some demons and went after them. He thinks they followed you."

"He's probably right. Got some enemies out there and Mundus would be pissed that I got back with you guys." He turned over the books in his hands. The one with the orb in it caught his attention. Were there demon made books? He doubted there was a binding shop in the Underworld.

Vergil came down then, in direct contrast to Dante. He was already dressed neatly in a blue shirt tucked into jeans. Meanwhile, the younger son of Sparda was in the pants he wore the day before and nothing else.

"Good morning Vergil," Eva smiled, "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please, mother," he replied.

Dante coughed, "Fancy pants."

A kick to his shin was the response.

"Boys," Eva warned.

"Fighting already?" asked a cultured voice as he entered the kitchen, "Nothing ever changes."

Dante grinned, "Just fullfilling our duties as brothers, Pops."

He chuckled and took a tea cup Eva had prepared for him. Hesat beside Dante, "You had some callers this morning."

"Mom told me. What were they? Vanguards?"

"Mere Abyss Demons and a few hellhounds."

"Pfft. That's all? Verge and I beat more than that last night."

Vergil sat across from Sparda, "He's right. An army of Vanguards decided to hunt us last night. It was how we found each other."

"I told you, they were hunting _you_, Vergil. I was already chasing you when they started appearing."

"Any idea why these Vanguards were hunting you?" Sparda asked, amused, "Mundus would not attack near my wards without a strong force."

"Uh, I'm not sure it's Mundus doing the attacking."

He looked at him, "Then who?"

"Heard of the Red Devil?"

"Yes, that human has been coming up a lot lately."

Vergil drank some of his tea, "Another broadcast about him was on a few days ago. Dante was seen at the crimescene and is the police's top suspect."

"What?"

"It wasn't me!" he whined, flinching at the shocked stare of his father and the plate his mother dropped, "I was at the wrong place! I wouldn't kill a human!"

"Then who is the Red Devil, Dante?"

"I don't know. I remember yelling at one of the victims...and then there was fighting and gunfire." He winced and put a hand on the back of his head, "Then, I was checking the guy for a pulse and my head was pounding."

Sparda put a hand on his arm, "You are sure it was not you? You are still a nestling Dante. If your devil side got the better of you-"

"No! No, I wouldn't kill somebody! I swore I wouldn't when gramps was training me!"

"Gramps? You mean my sire?"

He nodded, "Mundus ordered him to train me when I was in the Underworld."

"I see..."

"Anyway, the Red Devil has been making a lot of sacrifices lately, and the last one I was at let a chunk of the Demon Army out. That was when I called for Rebellion and it came to me."

"I did wonder where that sword disappeared to."

He handed the books to his father, "I found these in a storage unit of a human who tried to become a demon. I think they talk about what's going on. I know it's all about some ancient demon magic called the Old Religion. It's supposed to be something that everybody forgot before you were born, dad."

He opened one of the books and frowned as he read, "This is powerful ritual magic...but highly riskful. Everything must be perfect or the ritual could backlash at the castor."

"Apparently, the Red Devil made a deal with some demon lord and is using a spell to open a portal to the demon world. One that will make the seal you put on Temen-ni-gru useless."

Sparda looked at his son, "Where did you get all this information Dante?"

"From the Oracles."

"The Oracles!"

"Yeah...they told me to tell you they send their regards."

Sparda snarled loudly, eyes flashing red.

"Who are the Oracles father?" Vergil asked, "Whenever they have been brought up, you become quite viscious."

He growled, "The Oracles are creatures seperate from human and demon. They know the events of time before they take place and can see all the possible futures of the worlds. They act as govenors of time and will manipulate events to suit particular futures."

"Uh, makes sense how they knew all that stuff then..." Dante said, still a little on edge from seeing the rage in Sparda's eyes.

"They have been known to toy with human and demon alike for their own amusement as well." He looked in Dante's eyes, "Did any of them touch you at all?"

"No!" He held up his hands, "Honest! One of them even dropped me off here with his bus."

He growled, "Be very careful around them, my sons. Any show of emotion or favouring for a particular outcome will be used against them."

"Okay dad, but they didn't seem that bad. Only Mathius was kinda annoying-"

"Mathius!" His eyes burned crimson, making Dante want to jump out of his chair.

"Y-Yeah. He was the first I met. He hid me from the cops."

"He is the worst of them. A self-proclaimed leader. He has even gone as far as to manipulate Mundus in the past."

"Really? Do these guys ever die?"

"Not naturally. They are not bound to a particular race and do not follow the natural rules of one...You are sure, they did not touch you?"

"Nope. All they did was tell me what was going on." He was disturbed. He had no idea what those people were. He had thought they were human.

Eva put their breakfasts on the table while Sparda started mumbling some demon profanity, "You said a human tried to become a demon, Dante?"

"Uh, yeah. A guy named Arkham. I met him when I was little. He married the descendant of a woman dad sacrificed. He was trying to sacrifice her to get some power. I stopped him but he found out who I was and tried to sacrifice me instead."

"Really?" A flash of anger entered her eyes.

"It's no big deal mom. His daughter shot him for me. We've been close ever since. I was actually wondering if I could bring them here. Arkham escaped from prison and he knows a lot about demons. I put up some wards but I've never been good at that." He shrugged.

"Of course you can, Dante. As long as you don't think they'll be uncomfortable around Sparda."

"Nah. They were fine with me and I told them I was half-devil. Can one of you call them? I think they cops will be watching their phones."

"I'll do it Dante," Vergil said, "Our voices are different enough that it shouldn't be a problem."

"Thanks Verge."

Sparda was still fuming when the other three began to eat. It was a quiet breakfast and, despite the fact that his father was angered, Dante found it a welcome change from the breakfasts he was used to.

_Now, all that's left is stopping this big ritual thing and keep Mundus in his place._ He turned to look out the window, _I just hope Lady and Kalina will be all right until I get back..._

**Review please!**


	13. Quality Time

**I took the discriptions for Ebony and Ivory from the games as well as a little from online. Just in case you wondered.**

**XII**

Sparda Manor was a welcoming place to anyone who saw it. Neatly decorated, warm colours, and a civilized host...when he wasn't bothered by something.

Dante had watched his father since he revealed the true purpose of the Red Devil at breakfast. He wasn't as calm as he remembered. He could feel it. He assumed it was because of the Oracles. He had no idea they were dangerous. Certainly Mathius couldn't do anything. He was blind and Dante was much stronger than any human.

He walked down the hallway to where he could feel his father's presence. He may have not been around pure devils for the majority of his life but he learned enough in the Underworld for the basics.

He knocked on the door, "Yo, Pops, can I come in?"

"Of course, Dante."

He entered and found himself in a study. Sparda sat at a desk with Arkham's books, making notes, "You can read that chickenscratch?"

He was given a mildly amused chuckle, "Of course I can. It is what I was raised on."

"So, what's it all say?"

"Well, the human book here is a guide to many of the rituals performed in the Old Religion. I must say, it is fascinating. I never knew such complex ritual magic exsisted. It is a wonder it passed out of knowledge - great feats can be accomplished with it."

"I guess then the seal you made can be reversed?"

He sighed heavily, "Yes...and it frustrates me. I spent so long creating a way to cut the ties between the worlds. I even sacrificed my own and a mortal's blood."

"You really did sacrifice someone?"

"Yes. A priestess that agreed to give her life for my cause. She was one of the few real human friends I had made in this world. I despaired to see her go."

"Was she the only one you sacrificed?"

"Yes."

"Then, Lady and Kalina are _her_ descendents. Neat."

"I am looking forward to meeting them. It will be nice to see how strong the priestess' blood is."

"Kalina's really nice. She looked after me a lot when I was a kid and I kinda grew up with Lady. She's becoming a demon hunter now. Really knows her way around guns."

He smiled, "The blood must run strong then..." His eye became distant, as if he was looking at something far away.

"What's the other book say?"

Sparda reached over to pick it up and Dante noticed his hands were ungloved, for once. He had imagined that his human form wouldn't exactly have human-looking hands. After all, his ears were pointed slightly and even the kindest expression on his face had some edge. Sparda's hands possessed long fingers and sharp nails. Almost claw-like. Fitting, in a way.

"This book," he said, snapping him out of his thoughts, "is a devil made book. It's binded with human bone, blood, and innerds."

"That's...really gross."

He chuckled, "This leathery cover is treated human skin."

He grimaced and felt a need to wash his hands, rubbing them on his jeans a little.

Sparda laughed, "I imagine living amongst humans would deter you from this thought. Many centuries ago, demons would harvest humans to create these books as gifts for mates or to gain favour from powerful devils. Very few have a red orb in the center though. This belonged to a very powerful and respected devil. I have not deciphered much of it yet..."

"But you caught yours, mine, and Vergil's names? They were the only ones I could read."

"Yes...It seems as though this book is a survey on my breed. It has details going to your third birthday, as far as I have read."

"Freaky."

"There are spells that can allow one to watch another from a distance...I had believed that sealing the two worlds off from each other would keep anyone from spying upon my domain...It appears I was wrong. Numerous castors could have built their powers against me." He pinched the bridge of his nose, "I have become far too confident."

"Everyone makes mistakes, dad. No big deal."

He was sent an appreciative smile, "That is a nice thought Dante but some mistakes are too great to go unpunished."

"Well, we'll just be more careful then. Come in guns blazing and swords swinging."

A laugh, "That is not what I picture when one mentions being careful."

He grinned, "My version of being careful. More fun."

He smiled and stood up, "I see my wild streak has been passed down into you."

"You were wild? When?"

He flashed a grin, "You do not know my youth, Dante. There is more than one reason why I am _legendary_."

He grinned back, trying to imagine the refined and well-mannered Sparda as wild. He couldn't picture it. A hug stopped his attempt. He jumped a little and was surprised to see his father's arms around him in a tight embrace.

"I am sorry Dante," he said quietly.

"For what?" He was starting to get annoyed at all the apologies. First Vergil and then Sparda? Was Eva in on this too?

"For abandoning you. I should have known you were pulled into the Underworld."

"Ugh, don't apologize, dad. Verge told me what happened on your end. Yeah, there were times I wanted my mom and dad but I got through them." He shrugged, "No big deal."

"It is a big deal. I abandoned my own son to whatever tortures Mundus had at his disposal."

"He wanted me and Vergil alive. He wasn't going to torture us."

"He would have eventually...How did you escape? Even if you did have the power to create rifts, as a nestling, it would have been impossible for you to muster the energy at the time."

A smile crossed his face, "Aunt Freyja."

He stilled.

"She looked after me and gathered enough power to create a small portal for me. She kept me safe from gramps and even curled up with me at night - or, at least, I think it was night. I pretty much fell asleep when I was tired."

Sparda chuckled and pulled back. He had a truly happy expression on his face, "I am glad my twin cared for my own."

"She said you were right about humans, dad, but pretended like she hated you so no one would think she was traitor too. She felt better being someone you could trust on the inside."

He softened.

"She didn't have a mate either so she was able to look after me 24/7. It was neat. I knew who she was instantly because she looks exactly like you - er, only female."

He chuckled, "Twin demons are meant to look identical, Dante. When the devils within you and Vergil awaken, you shall be similair as well."

"I get that but she's _exactly_ like you, Pops. Six wings and everything."

"Sometimes nestlings are more than similair," he nodded, "We shall see what human blood does to differ that between you and Vergil when the time comes."

"Pfft. I'll look much better than him."

"Like Hell you will." A swift hit with Yamato's sheath landed on the small of his back.

"Ow! Abuse!"

"I've done worse to you, dear brother," Vergil smiled, "I seem to recall an incident where I dealt you a headshot with Ombra."

"Lucky shot! You weren't even aiming for a headshot."

"Luck had nothing to do with it."

"Boys," Sparda intervened good naturedly, "You have not been reunited a whole day and you are already bickering."

"Duties as bros, dad," Dante reminded with a grin.

He sighed, "Must be. I did not fight with my sister like you two seem to enjoy doing."

"Your twin was female, father?" Vergil asked.

"Yeah," Dante grinned, "Aunt Freyja. She took care of me in the Underworld. She's awesome! Far less stuffy than you and the Old Man here."

"Hey!" Another slap with Yamato, this time in the stomach.

"Old Man?" Sparda asked, confused.

Dante grinned, "Well you are over 2000."

"There are demons far older than me, Dante."

"But no humans."

"Humans were born with short lifespans. A pity really. They could learn so much more if they lived as demons do. But, perhaps, it is for the best. There are many humans out there that could stand to die for the benefit of others."

"You're a real downer sometimes, Pops."

* * *

Eva took a look at the guns Dante had brought with him. One black and one white. Both customized to be completely different guns but a perfect match to each other at the same time. She read the inscription on the white one.

"Ebony & Ivory. For Tony Redgrave, by .45 Art Warks." She smiled at the name. An alias. She had taught her sons how to utilize false personas from the moment they could talk. A useful skill in life. A spark of pride ignited in her heart at Dante's use of her lessons while on his own.

Going back to the guns, she noted them to be M1911-style, chambered for a .45 ACP round. What got her though were the customized features. They were many and would have cost a fortune.

"Pivot-style triggers, custom sight systems, muzzle compensators...with the barrels extended through the compensators, thickened and reinforced custom slides, wood grips..."

"And double-stack magaines." She jumped and spun to see Dante grinning at her, "Awesome guns, huh? Ivory's for rapid firing and fast drawing while Ebony's modified for long-distance targeting and comfort."

"Who made them for you?"

"A lady by the name of Nell." He grinned wider, "I'd bring her in a bunch of guns I, uh, won off some mercenaries and she'd tell me I was too hard on them." He shrugged, "I was trying to get pistols to fire as fast as a machine gun."

She laughed and looked at them again. They were expertly crafted, "This Nell wouldn't happen to be Nell Goldstein, would she?"

"How'd you know?"

"The craftsmanship. She's quiet popular in hunters and mercenaries. I heard she stopped making customized pistols years ago."

"She did. These are her last though."

"You should feel honoured, Dante. I heard of a lot who have gone to her to try to get a gun from her. She turned them all away."

"She was only into upgrading last I saw her."

"Hmm..."

He picked up Ivory and spinned it on his finger, "I love these guns. My girls have killed a whole bunch of demons. They kept me going before I got Rebellion back."

"They are very nice. You and your father should test them against Luce and Ombra."

"Maybe. When this whole Red Devil stuff is done."

She smiled and noticed him look at her desk. He picked up the last family picture he was in. She softened as she watched a fond smile cross his face. In the short time they had been reunited, she already saw her youngest as rambuctious, cocky, and wild. To see a calm, quiet look on him would be rare and she loved seeing it.

"I remember this," he said, laughing softly, "Verge wouldn't talk to me for three weeks after. He pretended I didn't exsist."

"It was still the best photo we were ever able to take of you two. All the others had you pulling Vergil's hair or him punching you."

He grinned as he put the picture down upright. At this point, she wanted to apologize for giving up hope and believing he was dead all those years. For not looking herself and just trusting Sparda's word and Vergil's senses. Then, she noticed the look in his eyes. He was relaxed, comfortable, and happy. There was no sign of anger or hurt. No hint of feeling betrayal or even thinking about that night. He was home and that was all that seemed to matter to him. She didn't need to apologize.

"It's good to be home," he said, smiling at her, "You know?"

She smiled back at him, "It's good to have you home, Dante." She hugged him gently, smiling more as his arms came around her. She had developed a good tell for the strength a devil used through touches. Dante was being careful of his strength and not crushing her like he probably would Vergil or Sparda.

"I love you, mom."

Some tears came to her eyes but she quickly blinked them away, "I love you too. So much, and I'm so proud of you."

"For what?"

"For surviving on your own all those years and finding your way back to us. You were only five at the time."

She felt him smile against her shoulder and squeeze her a little, "I used every trick you and dad taught me. Credit goes to you there."

She smiled and rested her cheek on his shoulder. He was taller than her, same as his brother, but he was bending a little in the hug. She was the short one now.

"I missed you mom, but, whenever I got really upset, I'd hear you."

"You'd hear me?"

"Yeah. Like you saying 'It's okay' or 'you can do it.' Got me through a lot."

"Some people would say you're crazy for hearing voices in your head."

He chuckled, appreciating the humour, "Aw mom, you're so cruel sometimes!"

She patted his upper arm, "I have to be to put up with a devil for a husband and twin boys for sons. Nevermind that the boys are half-devil."

"You really are one in a million to put up with that."

"I've always liked challenges, and some credit should go to your father. He puts up with a human as his mate."

"You're really strong though. I don't think I've ever seen another human like you...Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen any devils like you either. The women were either freakishly strong or really pampered."

"That's sweet, Dante."

"Well it's true."

She gave him another hug before letting go, "Tell me what happened to you. I want details."

"Well, Vergil was dragging me through the house when the archway in front of that side hallway we had collapsed. I saw it coming down on him so I pushed him out of the way. Then something grabbed me from underneath and..." He shrugged, "I was kinda knocked out. When I woke up, dad's sister, Freyja, was holding me. I guessed she was his twin cause he had said nestlings were born in pairs or more. Plus, she looked just like him."

"Your father doesn't talk much about his family. Was she good to you?"

"Oh yeah. She was the reason I escaped. I kinda miss her. I haven't seen her since she pushed me through a portal she made for me."

She smiled, some relief and grateful feelings springing forth at the thought of her son being so protected. It was also good to know there was at least one other demon from Sparda's family that would look after his children instead of killing them.

"Hey mom, I kinda got into a fight with Vergil again."

She smiled more, "This is new?"

He grinned sheepishly, "He won't call Lady now. Can you call for me?"

She laughed, "Of course dear." She picked up the phone near here, "Tell me the number."

He gave her the number and she sat patiently as it rang.

"Tell them your son uses a lot of Ebony and Ivory," he whispered, winking, "They'll know what it means."

She smiled as the phone was picked up, "Hello?"

A male's voice answered, "Hello."

"May I speak to Lady or Kalina, please?"

"Who may I ask is calling?"

Suddenly, Dante took the phone from her and snarled into the reciever, "You! What have you done with them?"

She sat back, startled. His eyes were glowing red and his devil side was growing. She had only seen this look on Sparda. It was strange to see it on one of her sons. She didn't hear what the man on the phone was saying but it seemed to make Dante angrier and angrier.

A fact proven when his flaring energies attracted Sparda and Vergil quickly downstairs.

"So, you're the Red Devil," Dante growled lowly, "Then, let me tell you this - I swear on Mundus' throne, if you hurt either of them, I'll tear you apart!" The reciever was then snapped in half under his fingers.

The three in the room watched him as blood from where the plastic had cut him dripped on the floor. Eva stood slowly and put her hands on his face, "Calm down Dante. Who was that on the phone?"

"Arkham." His voice had taken a deep rumble, as if his vocal cords had changed, "The prick that tried to sacrifice me and Kalina!"

"This human is the Red Devil," Sparda asked, approaching carefully. He seemed more weary of his son than the information he was asking for.

He nodded, another demonic growl coming from his lips, "He got through my wards...as if they were nothing!"

"Calm. Down." He put a hand on his back, trying to ease him, "Losing yourself is not going to solve anything, son. Now I promise you, we will get the women back and make him pay for dealing with darkness. I shall scout the area tomorrow."

He seemed to relax a small amount and nodded. Eva watched worriedly. Dante had never been one to lose his temper that much. Even when fighting with Vergil. Arkham got under his skin instantly. She began to wonder if he had done anything else to her son apart from trying to sacrifice him...

...and if Dante would carry out his threat and take a human life with demonic violance.

**Review please!**


	14. Clues

**XIII**

Sparda kept a close watch on Dante. His anger was astounding. He had always been the joking, playful one. He got mad sometimes, yes, but never enough to awaken the devil within him. Even now, he was pacing around the house aimlessly, muttering demonic profanities that both Sparda and Vergil refused to translate for Eva.

Sparda feared for what could possibly happen if Dante was to trigger the full potential of his devil side in his rage. His eyes were constantly red now and he could already see subtle changes. His hands were shaping into claws, much like Sparda's were, and his body was beginning to harden and shape into the scaled armour that demons possessed. It wasn't noticeable to a human's eye, but Sparda could see it clearly. He could also hear his voice deepening, suggesting that his vocal cords were shaping into that of a devil's.

He leaned against a wall as Dante made his third pass of the staircase. Just as he was about to walk by, a snarl erupted from his throat and he threw his first against the wall. It cracked instantly and brought down a small chunk of the upstairs hallway.

"Easy Dante," Sparda whispered, secretly glad neither Vergil nor Eva were upstairs.

Another snarl, this time directed at him. Sparda growled back and allowed his eyes to turn red, seeing that he needed to deal with this, in part, as a devil. Assert his place above Dante with a show of higher power.

The boy glared at him with glowing eyes before looking away, flexing the hand he had used to punch the wall. The joints cracked in protest as they began to heal from the collision. Sparda came forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Losing control over yourself won't help your friends. You need to pull your anger back."

He growled and put his hands in his hair, "The bastard! I knew he'd go after them!"

"Dante-"

"I warded their house and everything!" Tears of frustration leaked from his eyes, his voice taking on a broken, gutteral snarl, "He just walked in there like they were...were _nothing_!"

Sparda pulled him into an embrace and started a flow of energy to enforce the idea of calming down. In reality, it would be good for his son to learn how to connect with his inner devil but not this way. It would be better if done naturally and calmly.

Eventually, Dante's hands gripped his shoulders, coughing out surpressed sobs.

_Just like when he was so small_, he thought as he held him carefully. For a moment, his mind flashed back to when he and Vergil had nightmares. They would run to him and Eva and cry into their shirts at night. He had been awed by how a strong case of fear could bring about their tears just as easily as sorrow.

Devils did not know the sweet release of emotion through tears, but the half-breed he embraced did.

He smiled softly as instinct wanted to make him lick the offending substance off of Dante's face. Devils often licked blood off their nestlings. It seemed to be the same for tears.

Dante's choked voice disturbed him from his train of thought, "I-I...I just-"

"You need to calm down, son. Anger will not solve this."

"But-"

"I know you are upset and feel as though you have failed them. You tried, that is the important part. You tried. If it makes you feel better, I shall help you increase your warding skills."

He nodded numbly and slumbed against him.

He could see he was still far from his usual self, "What normally eases you?"

"Killing demons..."

"There are some in the area. Come. Let us have a hunt. I will call your brother to join us."

He nodded again, pulling back and rubbing evidence of the tears away before Vergil could see them. The blue twin came moments later, holding Yamato, and the three left the house to hunt in the woods.

Sparda admitted he was curious to see what skills Dante had gained while on his own and what he would have to train the boy to improve on. From how his youngest already had his pistols drawn, he knew he favoured fire arms. Probably because of how easily he could maneouver with them.

The demons converged on them once they left the safety of his wards.

Vergil and Dante went in seperate directions as he charged forward. He kept a close eye on his nestlings as he fought through small scouts with ease. Vergil was using his speed and endurance to his advantage, cutting down enemies with percision. A surge of pride swept through Sparda as he saw he was mastering the sword displacement technique available to hi when using Yamato.

Dante was another story. He was using agility and style over speed and endurance. Flipping over trees or quickly dodging blades and scythes to shoot their possessors down seconds later. He moved well but recklessly. If he was against a serious opponent, he would not go as unscathed as he was currently. These demons were lesser, mere scouts, and did not have the mental power to think of counter attacks. He would have to teach him not to be so careless with defense.

The guns he used were powerful. Sparda could see Dante funnelling his own energies into the bullets he fired either from the side or above the demons. After spinning above one such demon, firing off multiple shots, he drew Rebellion from his back and dealt a finishing, downward strike.

"Nicely done, Dante," he praised, "Even though you have not wielded Rebellion for long, you are accurate and incorporate the blade into your fighting easily."

"Thanks," he grinned, "It just kinda comes natural."

He nodded with a smile and turned to Vergil, "Your displacement technique is getting stronger. Just be careful of how much energy you use in it. You do not want to deplete yourself in the middle of battle."

"Yes, father," Vergil responded, smiling slightly.

"I also noticed you are developing a new teleportaion maneouver."

"He did it on me last night," Dante pipped in, "Scared the crap outta me while we were wrestling."

"You were taunting me," Vergil defended in his calm demenour, "I had to teach you a lesson."

"I'll show you a lesson."

"Boys," Sparda laughed, enjoying having both his sons with him, "there is no need for quarrels. Come, let us go home and see what we can have for lun-"

Demons appeared out of the bushes and trees, using the distraction of their opponents' chatter to attack. However, not one went after Sparda or Vergil. They all went for Dante, attacking him at once. Their blades and scythes got the better of his surprise and effectively pinned him to a tree.

"Dante!" Sparda cried along with Vergil. They jumped back into the battle.

_I'm not letting another demon touch my son!_

* * *

The multiple pain points were what did it. One moment, he was looking at his brother and father running to his aid and, the next, he was in his memories.

_"What the hell Enzo?" he yelled, "You're supposed to be my handler and you knew where they were this whole fucking time!"_

_"Dante, I'm sorry!" the fat man cried out, "I didn't mean to do it!"_

_"You knew all this time and DIDN'T TELL ME!"_

_"I did it to protect you!"_

_"Protect me? I don't need your fucking protection!"_

_He wanted to shoot the man in front of him but reason kept him from doing so. This man was his handler after all. Suddenly, the colour drained from Enzo's face, "Get out!"_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"Get out of the way Dante!" He picked up a pistol that was on the table and fired at something behind him._

_Dante spun to see what was there. He caught the briefest glimpse of a man before a horde of Prides swooped in and attacked him. He was pinned against the wall with their scythes. He head hit the corner of a picture frame hard and caved in the back of his skull, effectively knocking his senses out of focus._

_"Dante!"_

_His healing energies began to work before a layer of wards started glowing in the room, ceasing them. Dante slumped with a groan, hitting the point where he could barely stay conscious. The Prides had vansished but their scythes remained within him to keep him against the wall._

_All he could focus on was a vaguely familier ward in front of his eyes._

_"You were told to keep him from knowing where they were," a dark voice said._

_"I-I tried!" Enzo gulped, "He found them himself!"  
_

_"I gave you a simple order. You have failed me. Now, it seems, I must get a jump in my schedule."_

_Gunshots came next before the clean slice of a knife in flesh. Dante tried to lift his head as he heard Enzo's breath get shallower and shallower before stopping. Warm copper filled the room and symbols were appearing. The magic was suffocating and made the red Sparda twin think he was about the drown in it._

_Then, it all disappeared. The scythes pinning him dissolved and he fell forward, hitting the floor._

_"Hmm...it seems Sparda's blood is not as thick as believed..."_

_Darkness took him for a few moments as his wounds healed. When he was able to get up, he saw Enzo's body, almost unrecognizable with how badly it was mutilated. He crept forward and checked for a pulse out of habit. There was none._

* * *

Sparda looked at Dante as he writhed on the bed. Eva wiped his forehead with a cloth, "You're sure there were no sacred blades?"

"Positive, mother," Vergil answered, watching his sibling, "They were all regular Pride demons."

"I wonder what is making him like this, then."

"He did not lose that much blood..." Sparda said, worried.

She sighed and looked at him, "Maybe there was a spell on one of them."

"Perhaps...I do not want to leave him but it is after dark. I promised him I would scout the area of his friend's home."

"Do you know where it is?"

"He told me earlier. I should not be long." With that, he turned and left.

_**Lady's house**_

There were no police vehicles or any sign that law enforcement had been in the area for, at least, a day. He approached the house slowly. He felt the line where Dante's wards were and winced. They were indeed very weak. Lesser demons and weak sorcerers wouldn't be able to get through but with the power that Sparda had...

Letting out a small sigh, he walked up to the house and entered. There was no one inside and it looked as though a battle had raged. The scents of gunpowder and demons were heavy. He fingered the bulletholes in the walls, reminded of Dante's words about the younger descendent. Perhaps she had fought them off.

Everything was askew, if not destroyed. He walked into the living room where the majority of the action seemed to have been. Dante's scent was faint on the couch, probably from a night spent here a long time ago. He scented two female scents and one male. They left the room and went into the basement. He followed them down.

A bed was there, along with a table full of papers and empty bullet shells. Dante's scent was strongest here.

_He mentioned he spent some time with them_, Sparda reflected, _With the law after him, he would have needed a place to hide._ A smile crossed his face, _Priestess, it seems your blood and mine have been intertwined in more ways then one. Your kin has sheltered mine._

He journeyed to the table and looked over the documents. Files on his bank and other small leads that hinted involvement with him.

_Dante must have been using these to try to find us..._

He gave a soft sigh and looked around. Nothing else was down here except an open window. A breeze blew in and blew something off of the bed. He went to pick it up and read it:

Dante,

I managed to escape my father but my mother wasn't so lucky. I can't let him find me too or her sacrifice will be for nothing. I've gone hiding. I know you'll find your family so hurry up and do it! I'll see you next time demons pop up, I'm sure.

Lady

He smiled a little, not sure if there was a joke or annoyance in the words. He was glad one of them escaped this man and hoped the other would still be alive when they found him. There was no hint of ritual magic or an abundance of human blood. With how angry his son had become, he could see this foe as one that enjoyed toying and tormenting.

_At least, I can bring Dante some good news. Now, I should return. The police will be here soon._

He left the way he came and blended into the shadows until the edge of town. There, he morphed into his devil form. The moonlight shone off his armoured carapice, making him smile. One of the things he loved about the human's world was the sun and moon. The warmth of day was gentlier than the magma and puslating darkness of the Underworld. The beauty of the moon also appealed to him. A part of him liked the silver light that bathed his wings and claws. Much better than the blood of conquests.

Eva said she loved how the silver light played through his hair, although it was barely noticeable with the shade he had chosen. He smiled. He loved the things she noticed about him and secretly feld humbled whenever he saw the moonlight run through her golden locks. He felt as though he was seeing the beauty of angels again, even though most angels had become demons during the Great Wars. After all, at one time, they were one in the same race.

_I am truly a strange devil_, he mused as he jumped up and took flight toward his home.

Appreciating beauty and finding delight in a human that didn't involve dominating their soul? Which power had this much of a sense of humour to create one such as him?

He sped over trees and roads, making sure to become a blur that the late night humans would think just a mere bird. He spotted the familier area of his home and aimed for the balcony that encompassed almost all bedrooms on the upper floor. Dante's room still had it's light on.

He landed gently and returned to his human form before walking in. Dante was awake now, "Hey dad. Did you find anything?"

He handed over the note, "Lady escaped although fate did not favour her mother so."

Dante took the note and read it, "Ha! She loves ordering me around."

He smiled a little, "I did not feel any ritual magic nor did I see any human blood."

"So, Kalina's still alive?"

"I believe so."

"That's good."

"I did not find any other clues, so we are once again at barren ground."

"Maybe looking into the other sacrifices will help, father," Vergil suggested, ever the intellectual, "I am sure there is something common among them."

He nodded, "We will start in the morning. It is late now and we should all rest. I have a feeling we will need our full strength for this."

"No worries, Pops," Dante grinned, "We'll beat 'em. It's tradition."

Eva smiled while he chuckled, "Perhaps it is. Rest now." He turned and left with his wife and eldest following. After bidding Vergil goodnight, he retreated to his study.

"Aren't you coming to bed Sparda?" Eva asked from the doorway.

"Later milady. I want to find out more about this human, Arkham. Dante said he tried to sacrifice him before. I want to know how much of these rituals the human knows."

"Don't stay up all night, Sparda. Even legends need rest."

He smiled at her pulled her into an embrace, taking the love he craved from her being as well as sending some back. She didn't feed as devils did, but reflexes ruled him as much as any other being and he felt better giving her affection as both devil and human.

"I'm going to go to bed. Dante says he was only in the middle of a memory he thinks the demons triggered."

He frowned, "Anything bad?"

"He wouldn't tell us what it was. Even when Vergil started teasing him for being afriad of a bad memory."

He gave a tired sigh, "It truly is remarkable how those two managed to fall into sibling bickering so easily."

"They're boys, Sparda. Brothers love to challenge each other."

"I can understand that. There were two students of mine who used to spar with each other constantly when not in battle...They did not bicker nearly as much though."

She smiled more, "Maybe they get that from me. You didn't know me when I was a kid Sparda."

He smirked, "Did my sons get some fight from their mother? I had not fathomed that."

She tapped his cheek, "Good night, Sparda."

"Good night, milady."

She left and he sat at his desk. Dante had mentioned this Arkham escaped from prison so prison records were the first stop.

**With how easily frightened Enzo was in the comics, I can just see him cowering to anyone who really put pressure on him.**

**Review please.**


	15. The Next Sacrifice

**Hi Everyone!**

**Sorry about the sudden hiatus. Laptop fried on me and I had to send it off for repairs. Plus, some personal issues I won't bore everyone with. I should be back to updating every week. Somewhere around Tuesdays or Wednesdays depending on work.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Devil May Cry universe. I am just borrowing the characters.**

**Note: Elements of this story are based on fandom.**

**XIV**

Although still pissed about Arkham, Dante was in good spirits about Lady's escape. At least one got out of there and he had a solid ally in the fight now. He didn't doubt she'd get herself involved. She wasn't the type to leave scores unsettled.

It was nearing the middle of the day and the Sparda clan was in the library. Eva called some of her mercenery contacts to get information on the Red Devil crimescenes while Vergil searched online. Dante was able to draw out some of the wards he remembered seeing, handing them to Sparda to identify. Things seemed to be moving like a well-oiled machine.

"Father, take a look at this," Vergil suddenly said, bringing a map over, "All of the crimescenes are positioned as part of a larger circle."

Dante came over to look. Vergil had marked out all the reported murders and they did indeed mark a large shape over the city.

Sparda adjusted his monocle, "Hmmm...a larger ritual circle. On the surface, it merely looks like he's building up power through multiple uses of the same ritual. However, with the correct placement, he could be performing a different ritual all together."

"Could we stop him then?" Dante asked, "All we have to do is go to the next place, right?"

"The areas are close together and the distance would have to be the same between each for a successful casting. It should be relatively simple to guess where the next casting will take place."

"So, we find the next place and stop him before he hurts anyone."

"That seems to be the best plan."

"I believe his next location is here, father," Vergil said, pointing to a lot in a ghetto part of the city.

"Hey, I know that place," Dante said, "It's a park. One of the Oracles goes to that coffee shop beside it."

A small growl came from Sparda but he nodded, "We shall wait there then."

"Cool. Steak out."

"We shall do this quietly. I do not want the police to find you or Vergil. He looks enough like you that he will be suspected."

"You always get me into trouble, Dante," Vergil teased lightly, "I'm going to have to punish you later."

"What are little brothers for?" He taunted back.

"I looked into all the files of the victims," Eva interrupted with a smile, "Seems none of them are connected apart from the murders themselves."

"So, he takes the ones who live in or are near to the location he needs," Sparda surmised, "This will change things."

"Good or bad kind of changing things?" Dante asked.

"Depends on the location. Good if it is an apartment but if it is an open area such as this park..."

"Oh..."

"There's a problem with time as well," Eva said, "There is no set period between each murder. There was one point when he made a kill a night and another where he went a week without killing."

"There must not be a duration limit on this ritual then," Sparda said, "That will prove tedious."

"So, what do we do?" Dante asked, getting a little frustrated, "Just go there every night and wait?"

"It is the best we can do. Perhaps some light wards..."

"You think of everything, don't ya, dad?"

"It is habit to cover all possibilities, at my age. We shall watch tonight and, if nothing happens, I will set up wards."

"Don't wear anything fancy. Rough neighbourhood there."

"I can handle humans, Dante."

"Yeah but they like to gang up on people and that purple suit you always wear makes you look like some kind of rich old dude."

Eva chuckled at his humour, "Your father isn't old. He's just experienced."

"Suurrreee he is."

"One would think you are mocking me," Sparda said with an unamused expression.

He shrugged with a grin, "Not all sons can be as stuffy as Verge."

"You have to sleep sometime, Dante," Vergil muttered.

**_Outside Sparda Manor_**

Dante waited in the bushes. He had overheard Sparda and Vergil talking about training a few minutes earlier and decided it was more fun to invite himself rather than wait for Sparda to. Plus, he wanted a one-on-one with Vergil. It was fine to rough house and bicker but they were sons of the Dark Knight and half devils. Both trained in different environments, it was bound to be a good fight and nothing compaired to a good spar with your flesh and blood.

_I'm starting to think like dad_, he realized as he shifted his position. He was at the spot he saw Vergil run into the night he reunited with them. If he guessed right, they would run passed the area.

As if on que, the two opened the back door of the mansion and left, Eva waving goodbye to them.

"I'll look for Dante," she called when they were halfway to the forest, "He's bound to be around here somewhere."

They nodded and ran into the forest. As soon as they passed, he leapt up and chased after them. He sensed both of them suddenly felt his arrival but that didn't stop him from tackling his father from behind, knocking him straight into Vergil.

"Dante!" Vergil yelled, "What is wrong with you?"

Dante raised himself on the top of the devil's dogpile, "Nothing much. I just have a smarty-pants brother to deal with."

"I take it, you would like to join us for training, Dante," Sparda cut in, looking at his youngest with an amused smile.

"Well, now that I'm here."

"Perfect!" Vergil stated before thrusting an unsheathed Yamato at his twin.

Dante jumped back, flipping in the air and drawing Ebony and Ivory with a laugh. Sparda and Vergil dodged the bullets but it was Vergil who leapt into the fight. Their swords clashed together with power and fury. Sparks flew and Dante grinned widely. To go one-on-one with Vergil again. To feel his blood rush at a real fight put him in a far better mood than he could ever imagine.

He kept his eyes on Yamato, though it was difficult. Vergil had mastered his speed and allowed the blade to slice cleanly through the air. It became hard to track his movements with a lot of success but the clang of steel on steel rang through the forest. Rebellion thrummed in satisfaction at the fight with Yamato and Dante could sense Yamato felt the same way.

Instantly, he was taken back to the days where Sparda supervised a sparring session involving wooden practice swords. Vergil always won those but Dante's skill in guns made up for that.

He drew Ebony and fired a headshot. Vergil deflected it and created his own sort of bullets from Yamato. The blue swords aimed for him but were easy to dodge once he got a feel for his brother's pattern of firing.

* * *

Sparda watched the battle from the sidelines. Each had their own fighting style but he could see how they were shaping and growing into the worriers he was proud of. Vergil's calm and precise strikes told the beginnings of a very cold and efficient blade master. Opposing him, Dante's acrobatics and general wild fighting more resembled a chaotic fighter. He relished the feel of the fight but knew how to pace himself to suit his opponent and to keep others from getting harmed. Sparda could safely remain close to the fight without feeling bullets or demonic steel near his body.

He frowned as Dante let out a loud whoop. An unsettling thought came to his mind. Could this be the beginnings of a berserker? Could his youngest become so entralled with the fight that he would openly pick fights? Berserkers were the same in any species: wild, unpredictable, and uncontrollable. Self-control was impossible when so fuelled by emotion.

Sparda thought back to the rage consuming Dante when he spoke with Arkham. Would he have fully triggered the powers he inherited if Sparda hadn't stopped him? He feared the possibilties. He would have to watch closely and help his son control his emotions.

"Hey dad!"

He looked up, "Yes Dante?"

"Are you gonna join us or what? Every demon for himself!"

He chuckled and picked up his sword, "Show me what you two can do."

_**Night...**_

"Any luck on finding information on this 'Arkham?'" Eva asked.

"Not much, milady," he answered, "I am not sure whether this man is human or not. I almost wonder if he is a demon with a human body...Or perhaps tainted. If what Dante told us is true, he may have already delved into some of the dark powers before realizing his wife was a descendent of the Priestess. He would have attempted to sacrifice her much sooner if he knew before he married her."

"So, devil powers may have warped his mind?"

"They may have. I have heard of similair things occuring in the past. I did not pay much attention when I was still Mundus' general."

"Were any of the humans saved or cured? Or were they just killed?"

"Killed or gone insane."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "I wonder if my mind has been warped then. You cannot say I have not been 'touched' by dark powers."

He laughed, "No, milady. You are pure. Plus, you are far too strong to ever be 'warped.' Those humans you call 'vikings' must have thought of you when they spoke of valkyries."

"I thought demons gained their mates' attentions through gifts and battles, not flattery. _You_, my dear Dark Knight, are becoming human."

He chuckled softly, "No. Centuries with humans has given me the experience to know a bloody corpses would not please you."

"Depends on who's corpse it is."

"Geez," came a voice from the doorway of the study, "what's with the mushy moment? It's not your anniversary or something, is it?"

"You'll understand when you get married Dante."

"Pfft. Never happen. This body's too good to keep it to one girl."

She rolled her eyes, "Damn. You've grown into a player."

He shrugged innocently, "What?"

Sparda smiled, "Do not fear. If the worry he displayed for his friend is anything to go by. He will marry her."

"Lady? She tries to shoot me if I hug her!"

"Then she is like your mother. It proves my point."

Dante whined, "Dad! You're supposed to support me!"

A laugh, "I am, Dante. I have not met this young woman personally but I can already tell she will be a perfect mate for you."

Dante crossed his arms and grumbled as Vergil entered, "Father, we should leave for the park. The sun has gone down."

Sparda nodded, "Yes, grab your weapons. I have a strong feeling we may see battle before sunrise."

_**City Park**_

The area was deserted without even a stray animal near. The stores were closed and apartment lights were off, allowing the dim, yellow streetlights to bathe the dirty streets and replace the mysteriously absent starlight. No wind blew, making a heavy blanket of unease and anxiety settle close to the ground and on the four figures hiding in the shadows.

_I cannot sense any ritual magic_, Sparda thought, _but it is here. I am starting to understand why the Old Religion passed out of knowledge...I have never felt so unsettled and there is no ritual in front of me yet._

"Sparda?" Eva whispered from beside him, "Are you all right?"

"I have never been good with the wait before the battle."

"No worries Dad," Dante said, patting his back, "We'll catch him. After all, he'll be against the whole Sparda family. No one can stop us!"

He smiled, "You have a very positive attitude, Dante."

"I just know what happens. Step one: we wait here. Step two: Arkham shows his ugly face. Step three: fighting. Step four: Spardas win again."

He laughed.

"I think someone's coming," Vergil hissed.

The four looked out from behind an idle delivery truck. A shadowy figure was standing in the middle of the park, holding a book against his chest.

Dante growled, "That's him."

Sparda put a hand on his shoulder, "Wait. Let us see what he plans."

Silence. Time crawled as Arkham seemed to remain still, not even breathing. Vergil and Eva remained still but Dante was fidgiting. His anger was rising and it didn't seem as though he was able to deal with waiting any better than his father. Sparda squeezed his shoulder.

"It would be better to just let him come at me, Sparda."

They froze.

"Then again, I see why you would not. His rage rules him well. The police are eager to see you again, Dante."

Dante growled out a demonic profanity.

Arkham's laugh rumbled softly, "Such language. However, I have too much work to do. I am afraid I cannot entertain you tonight. My friends will have to do."

A rush of energy exploded in the air, making the wind howl and heat increase in the area. A horde of demons burst through multiple portals and attacked the Spardas. The seer number was more of an annoyance than anything serious. They forced the four hunters to seperate from each other and fight to survive.

Sparda kept watch on his family. Eva used her mastery of guns and grenades to take out as many as she could at once. Vergil attacked with such speed, he was boardering on stealth. Yamato slashed through each demon quickly, taking them down swiftly and easily. He almost created a dominoe effect, taking down another demon before the first fell. Dante used Rebellion to attack with those who came too close, but his skill with his pistols made him the perfect sniper. He managed to deal headshots to demons gaining on any member of his family.

_Perfect_, Sparda thought, gaining confidence that all of them can hold their own, _Now, to get to that human._

He turned and froze. A ritual circle glowed with a woman in the center. He smelled the blood and felt the magic begin the rise. How had he not sensed it before?

"Kalina!" Dante's voice cried out in dismay and anger.

A powerful blast of magic exploded through the area, damaging buildings and shattering windows. Most of the demons were killed in the blast but Sparda's level was high enough to remain unharmed. He looked down upon the woman sadly. Too much blood was gone for her to be alive.

_Priestess..._

Too many things reminded him of the night he sealed Temen-ni-gru. She lay just as her ancestor did, with the blood pooling around her body.

_"Sparda, tell me. Is the moon full tonight?"_

_"It is Priestess. It shines brilliantly."_

_"My daughter loves the moon...she always stares at it until she falls asleep...Do demon...demon children look at the...the moon?"_

_"We have no moon or sun in our world."_

_"That...That sounds so...sad..."_

_He looked down at the woman he held in his arms. She was almost gone._

_"You'll...You'll find her...her a good home?"_

_"Yes, Priestess."_

_"Thank...you..."_

_He watched her as her last breath left her body. The ceremonial gown was now stained red. He sighed and looked up at the clear sky. The moon shone down a silver light._

_A whimper reached his hearing. His gaze fell to the bundle in the Priestess' arms. Her daughter. He took the human infant in his arm and laid her mother down. The child looked at him then saw the moon and clapped, squealing happily._

_He smiled softly, struck by the innocence and love for something so trivial. He knew who to leave her with. A demon was no father to a human child, but he wanted to make sure she was well cared for. The best place for that was Vie de Marli._

"YOU BASTARD!" A missile shot the area where Arkham was standing, snapping Sparda from his memories.

A young woman with the same black hair as Kalina stood with tears in her eyes. She had fired at him. Again he saw proof of history's repetative nature. This woman looked exactly like the Priestess' daughter.

Arkham's laughter echoed, until it faded away. He had escaped. "We shall meet again, my darling daughter, and I will be coming for you as well Dante."

Dante roared with rage, his voice taking on the deep primal cords of a demon, "ARKHAM!"

Sparda spun to see his son's eyes pure red and glowing. He was close to triggering into his devil form. He could feel his power spiking higher and higher. It was high enough that Eva should be able to feel it in the air as well, "Dante!" He sped to him, grabbing onto his arms, "Dante! Enough!"

"He killed Kalina! He has to DIE!" Another spike. There wasn't much time.

"Not now! Calm yourself!" He had to get him pull back. An enraged nestling was the last thing needed, and if he really was in danger of becoming a berserker, "You need to help your friend. Her mother is dead."

Dante blinked, his power level dropping, "Lady?"

"Yes. Lady. Calm down now." Sparda embraced him, digging his fingers into the red coat Dante was wearing. A croon rose from his throat.

"Lady." Dante pushed Sparda away from him and walked to her. His power almost completely disappeared as he walked away. She was crying, on her knees beside her mother's body. Dante didn't say any words. He just knelt beside her and hugged her.

Vergil came to Sparda, helping Eva walk. He turned to them, "Are you all right, milady?"

"I'm fine," she said, "Vergil caught me when the blast knocked me back...Either way, I'm not the one we should be worried about."

"We should go," Vergil interjected, "the police will be here soon, and they will want to question all of us."

He nodded and looked to Dante and Lady, _This human must be stopped._

**Review please! And sorry about the wait again ^^;**


	16. Lady

**Geez, work completely murders the creative process.**

**XV**

_**Sparda Manor**_

Dante had given Lady the room he was staying in, saying he could sleep on the couch. However, he was relentless in trying to cheer her up and talk to her. A few fights broke out involving gunfire on her end but the other Spardas kept well out of it. It was apparently normal for her to unleash round after round at Dante.

Vergil listened as he sat at the bottom of the stairs.

"Leave me the Hell alone, Dante!" she snarled.

"Lady, come on," he pleaded, "I knew Kalina too! She was like a second mother to me!"

She huffed.

"I just want to help..."

"I don't need your help!"

"C'mon..."

"He's not going to give up, is he?" Eva said as she approached.

"Dante never gives up," Vergil half-grumbled, "and this girl is special to him.

Sparda sighed, "I was like that when I was younger."

Eva smirked, "Was? How many times was it 'merely coincedience' that we had hunting contracts in the same cities before our first date?"

A faint blush across the knight's cheeks made Vergil smirk, "That could be called stalking by human standards, father."

He snorted, "Demonic courting involves showing your mate how you handle yourself in a battle. I may have lived many years with humans but I was...ill-taught on how they court."

She tapped his cheek playfully, "You were cute, for a demon."

Another gunshot rang out.

"I think she's shot him more times than I have," Vergil mused.

Dante came down the stairs, rubbing his sleeve on his forehead, "Yeah, that's because she can do a hell of a headshot."

"Well, you deserved it for not leaving her alone."

"I just wanted to make her feel better..."

Sparda patted his shoulder, "Some people, especially humans I have noticed, need time alone."

"Let me try a woman's touch," Eva said, "If I can calm down two raging twin devil-boys, I can help your friend. You said her name was Lady?"

Dante nodded, "Yeah. It used to be Mary but we changed it after that whole business with Arkham. Lady suits her better."

"Alright." She walked upstairs as Dante sat beside Vergil. A little bit of blood stained his locks but he was otherwise unharmed.

"How do you feel, Dante?" Sparda asked.

"I'm okay..."

Vergil put a hand on his shoulder in a rare moment of comfort. Their bond was strengthening rapidly. At this point, he didn't need to hear Dante's words of Kalina being a second mother. He could easily tell he cared deeply for her and her daughter.

Dante gave him a little smile.

"I wish we could have saved her," Sparda said quietly, "A part of me feels I have betrayed the Priestess. One of her distant daughters cared for my own but I let her die."

"Dad, don't talk like that. I bet the Priestess would be happy. Lady's still here and behind all your wards and you didn't _let_ Kalina die."

"As foolish as it makes me feel, he has a point," Vergil agreed, "The Priestess would not blame you for what happened. This all goes on that human's head."

Dante growled a little, "I'll tear his throat out. He deserves to die."

"He does," Sparda nodded, "but do not let your rage consume you, Dante."

"...Can we go kill something? I really want to kill something."

Vergil smirked at the whine in his voice.

Sparda chuckled, "There are no demons in the area but if you need to fight, we can train beside the house. Just do not trample your mother's garden."

The twins grinned and picked up their swords.

* * *

"I know it hurts but shutting yourself away will only hurt you more," Eva said gently, "Trust me, as a hunter, I know that pain of losing a loved one."

Lady looked away.

She smiled a little, "And I know Dante can be annoying-"

"Understatement."

She chuckled, "Right. I've only been reunited with him for a little while and I can see that...I'm sorry about your mother Lady, but you have a home here. I'll move you to the room beside mine and Sparda's. Dante will have to get through us and Vergil before he can get to you."

She shifted.

"Does that sound good to you?"

"...It does. Dante isn't that bad but he's still annoying."

She smiled more, "And you can spend time with me all day. Dante has been telling us you're a new hunter. I'll show you our equipment. We have both human and devil items."

She slowly looked back at her, "I guess you would, since you're married to the Dark Knight..."

"And I'm an experienced hunter. There's only a handful who have lived as long as I have."

"Because of your husband?"

"I'd like to think a little of it was my own survival skills, but yes. Sparda has helped a great deal. He will help you as well."

"Why?"

"A few reasons. You mean a lot to Dante, for one."

"Pfft, all he ever does is try to hug me."

She chuckled, "He always was a little clingy. He loved to cuddle with us when he was little. By the time he got in school, he was just hugging Vergil to bug him, however..."

She let out a small laugh, "He always told me Vergil started the fights."

"There was blame on both sides. Vergil was more subtle in his attempts and I imagine there is a history of fights neither myself or Sparda know about."

She smiled a little more, before jumping at the sound of steel colliding violently, "What was that?"

"The boys probably. They always did love to test each other's strength."

"I see."

"Would you like to watch? I guess you've seen Dante in battle but not Vergil."

"Maybe later. I'm a little hungry, actually."

"Then come on. I'll make you something while they're busy." Opens the door and motions for her to follow.

Lady smiled a little and walked with her, "Thank you...for all this."

"It's no trouble. Even if you weren't a friend of Dante's, we would let you in." She wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "And I've always wanted a daughter. I won't try to replace your mother, but I will see you one of the Spardas."

"Thanks."

"What are you hungry for?"

"Anything but pizza."

She laughed, "Maybe some lasagna then. It has sauce and cheese so Dante will still eat it."

* * *

Dante went rigid as Yamato went through his stomach. He coughed up blood through a grin as he looked at Vergil. Rebellion was firm in his brother's stomach, "Stalemate."

Vergil smirked, a trickle of blood coming out the corner of his mouth, "You think so?" He jerked Yamato almost violently, making Dante cry out a little and retaliate with Rebellion in a similair fashion.

"Boys," Sparda had a slightly worried tone, "you are both hitting vital areas."

"That's the fun of it," Dante laughed, ignoring the flood of copper on his tastebuds. He grabbed Vergil's shoulder with his free hand, "Last one standing wins?"

Vergil put his hand on his shoulder and pulled him up Yamato's blade, "You got that right."

Both could feel their father's worry and want to jump to their aid but the code of brothers demanded the match continue until one fell to the other. Being half-devils, that could take a while. Blood trickled down both bodies, staining their clothes. Added with all the other injuries, they were quite a sight to behold; blood soaked, clothes torn, swords deep in their flesh, and identical expressions of determination and challenge.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes of the two subtly digging their swords in the other's flesh, Sparda came over and forced them apart.

"Aw, dad!" Dante whined, "I was winning!"

"I would rather not deplete our stores of devil stars because you wish to play out an ultimate challenge with your brother," he responded evenly, looking at the slowly closing holes in their stomachs.

"We're fine, father," Vergil protested, "and _I _was winning."

"What?" Dante cried out, "Like Hell you were!"

"Enough!" Sparda said firmly, "No more you two. Focus on healing and your mother's cooking."

"You need to lighten up a little, Pops."

"Heal Dante." It took some time because of the severity but the wounds eventually closed with minimal blood coming from their mouths. Sparda nodded, "Good. Now wash up for dinner."

A snicker, "Yes daddy." He winked and walked inside with Vergil, light bickering moving between the pair.

"Do not fool yourself. I would have won."

"Bull. Rebellion's thicker and caused a huge hole in you."

"Yamato's edge is sharper than your precious Rebellion. It's precision could have easily tore open one of your organs."

"Pfft." They washed up and dressed in new clothes, before coming downstairs.

"We're having lasagna tonight," Eva said, setting the table, "You can pretend it's pizza, Dante."

He grinned then looked at Lady. She shifted her eyes to him. He offered a silent smile and was surprised to see her return it.

"You might as well sit beside me, Dante," she said, "I know you want to."

A laugh.

**Night...**

Dante stretched out on the couch as they looked over their information.

"The circle is nearly complete, father," Vergil said, "Only a couple more and it will be complete."

"I see," Sparda muttered, "Two or three at the most...I need to find out what kind of ritual he is performing...Maybe something in his books."

Lady sat beside Dante's legs, "Anything that could turn him into a demon. That's what he was after last time."

He nodded, "I will not allow him to succeed. I am going to study those books Dante brought. This will take all night."

"Get some rest sometime, Sparda," Eva said, "Even legends need rest."

He smiled, "Good night." He left, locking himself in his study.

"It's late. Off to bed boys."

"Good night, mother," Vergil smiled, "and Lady."

Lady smiled, looking a little surprise, "Good night Vergil."

"Hey!" Dante protested, "What about me, Verge?"

"Oh, right," he said, "Good night annoyance."

"You suck, Verge."

Eva kissed his forehead, "Good night Dante. Good night Lady. Have a good sleep."

"Good night, Mrs Sparda," Lady replied.

"Call me, Eva." She smiled and left.

Lady looked down.

Dante nudged her with his knee a little.

She looked at him.

"Well?"

"Your brother's right. You're annoying."

He shrugged, "Forgive me?"

She paused, then sighed a little, "It wasn't your fault."

"I...I should've taken you with me, or something. I hadn't had any devil training in years. I should've known better."

"It's all right, Dante. You tried."

"Still." He sat up, "Hey, we'll get him though, and shoot a giant hole in his head for Kalina."

A small smile, "My new toy will do that."

"I saw! That was awesome! Where'd you get it?"

She smirked, "My contacts."

"Awww, you won't share?"

"Nope."

He laughed a little, "You're mean."

She smiled, relaxing, an gave him the opportunity to issue a hug.

"Night Lady."

"Night Dante." She shrugged him off and left, "If I catch you in bed with me, I'll shoot lower."

He laughed loudly.

**Low action in this one, but the next one will pick up.**


	17. A Brothers' War

**XVI**

_**Vie De Marli**_

"Another has been killed, Matier," a young, red-haired woman said, "This one was no accident. He's starting to pick off our own."

"My, my," an elderly woman smiled, "it sure took him a while to find this place."

"Matier-"

"I know, Lucia. I know. I need you to leave this place."

"Leave? But-"

"You will be back. I need you to tell Sparda what is going on. I will be fine here."

"But..."

"Do not worry. I know how to defend myself, should the opportunity come and we have hiding spots. Go to Sparda. He and his wife will know what to do. With any luck, his sons will both be with him."

She sighed, "All right. I'll go."

"Good. You know where they are. Be quick, my dear. He will not wait for you."

She nodded and turned to leave.

Matier looked out from her home, _It's been a while since Sparda has set foot here. I wonder if she is nearby as well..._

* * *

_**Sparda Manor**_

_**A few days later...**_

Lady was fitting in well with the Spardas. She was able to hold her own in their training when brought to human level and she had a lot in common with Eva.

It was obvious Dante was happy about this. In an almost childish desire, he really did seem to want his family to like his friend. Plus, she kept them busy while he and Vergil continued their new 'Last Man Standing' war. Sparda already had to drag them down to the devil items storeroom to heal them with yellow orbs. Promptly followed by a lecture that was immediately disregarded when a battle started in the forest.

Sparda growled deeply as he stood on the garden deck, feeling his sons' energies flaring into levels suitable for a true battle.

Eva put a hand on his shoulder, "I caught Dante coming out of the cavern storerooms, pocketing some gold orbs and blue orbs."

He sighed, eyes red, "I have _never_ met a pair of nestlings so determined to kill each other in a 'brotherly squabble.'"

"Boys will be boys, Sparda. I warned you that even human twins were a handful. I bet the knowledge of having you as their father will only drive them further."

He blinked and looked at her, confused, "What do you mean?"

"Sparda, you're the Dark Knight. You toppled an empire and kept the human world safe for centuries! Vergil and Dante have quite the legacy to live up to and a large amount of inherited power."

"I do not want them to think I will only be happy if they work to surpass my deeds..."

"It's a common thought with some kids. A lot of humans either want to be like, or resent their parents. You're a good father and the boys just want to see how far they can go to be like you. You know how they are. Vergil needs to experiment his theories and Dante just loves a good thrill."

He nodded, a small smile on his lips, "Very true."

"Let them have their near-death battle. They have the orbs to keep them from dying permanently and this will get fighting out of their systems for a little while."

"You are taking this well, milady."

"I've learned to think like a demon. Useful when married to you and being the mother of twin devil boys - even if they are part human."

He smiled, some appreciation for her efforts in their marriage noticable in his eyes.

"Plus, this could be very beneficial. If they know their limits in battle, they will be less likely to reach a critical point when fighting against something powerful."

"I suppose you are right."

"Now, I found out something about Arkham's rituals. Come on." She lead him back into the house and to the library.

Vergil had set up a large map of the city on one wall with crimescene photographs from newspapers pinned in the appropriate places. Dante wrote down what he remembered of the ritual he was at, some symbols as well as what he heard, and combined that with whatever information they could find on the others.

"I was looking at the pictures taken of the circles and I noticed something. All the bodies are positioned in certain ways. Almost as if they were creating symbols in the middle."

He looked and saw what she meant. Complex symbols that required mutilating the bodies in order to fully complete the image.

"Would this make it easier to figure out which ritual is going on?"

"I am sure it will," he said, thoughtfully, "At the very least, it should narrow down my search."

"I'll keep an ear on the news and police. See if any other murders occur."

"Good."

"There's something else that I thought of."

"What is it?"

"Dante said that whoever his handler was talking to - I guess Arkham, now - had been upset because he found us. He was trying to keep Dante away from us."

"Yes?"

"Well, it would be easier to just kill him. He had the opportunity while Dante was pinned to the wall, but he didn't take it. He let Dante live. With having your blood, his own would increase any ritual tenfold."

"I see what you mean...He had Dante in the perfect spot and yet, he chose the human for the ritual. Why would he do that?"

"I think he was saving Dante for last. Maybe a grand finish using Sparda's own blood. It may be the only reason he would keep Dante around instead of using him right away."

"Hmmm...a final display of huge power would create an explosive finish to a spell or ritual. Depending on what is being done, that could be very beneficial..." He lifted his head a little, "The fact that he used the Priestess' blood means he must be close to the end. Perhaps maybe only one or two more..."

"Then what is he waiting for? There should have been a missing person's report, at the very least, by now."

"I do not know but I intend to take full advantage of the delay."

"All right. I have some old friends keeping the law's eyes off of us. We have to be extra careful with the police suspecting Dante."

"He always did have a fondness for trouble."

She chuckled, "Just like his father?"

He snorted, "I do not get into trouble."

"No, of course not. The hords of demons and old enemies just want to come to the human world to say 'hello.'"

He smiled a little, "That is hardly fair."

"Being fair is for humans."

He laughed, amusement ringing out, "I fear I may be corrupting you. You are becoming more and more like a demon every day."

She smiled and kissed his cheek, "That's sweet."

A resounding crash came through the wall of the livingroom.

"That's it Vergil!" Dante yelled out, "You're dead!" The clash of steel began again, moving around the house in an arc.

"That's one of the perks of marrying a devil," Eva said, "You can repair the house after it suffers at the hands of your sons." She smirked and left.

* * *

Lady watched the battle from a balcony. Was this really just a friendly fight between brothers? The grass was almost entirely red with blood now. Although Dante was letting out his usual cries of joy and ecstasy. She could see flashes of his brother's smile as well. He was so different from Dante. Calm, cool, collected. Never as loud or as outwordly aggressive. It seemed he would only get riled if something extreme set him off as such.

_Takes more from Sparda, I guess_, she thought as she watched him easily dodge a stab from Rebellion, _But his mother doesn't seem all that excited or...loud, as Dante. Who does he get it from then?_

"I wonder how long this fight will last."

She looked behind her, "Oh, hello Mrs. Sparda."

"Please, call me Eva. I just came to see how you were."

"I'm alright...I think."

She offered a soft look.

"Nevermind. Uh, what are they fighting about?"

"They're not fighting about anything. They're testing each other." She came to stand beside her.

"Testing?...Oh, I guess because they've been seperated for so long."

"Not entirely but that is a part of it. As humans, we know our limits. We know what wounds will kill us and what we can recover from. They don't. They're half-devil so they can heal a lot more than we can."

"True...I've shot Dante dozens of times and he always survives. Does Sparda know what can kill them?"

"No, he doesn't. Apparently, half-devil children have not been exactly common in all the time he's been around. I'm assuming explosions or beheading will do the trick, but I don't plan on putting my assumptions to the test." She sighed a little, "Blood loss doesn't appear to be an issue."

She laughed a little, "I guess not but they are getting tired."

"Vergil's attacks are loosing a bit of precision. They should collapse soon."

"...You're really relaxed. Whenever Dante got in fights before, my mother would get upset."

"I know they're in no real danger right now. They're within shouting distance of their father and no other demons should get into the fight with all the wards this land has. Plus, I saw Dante take some healing items from our stores."

"Healing items?" she asked, assuming that meant something different than bandaids and alcohol.

"Come, I'll show you." Eva took her hand and lead her into the cavern storerooms.

"What are these?"

"Sparda is more comfortable with enclosed spaces. The Demon World is nothing but a large cave, after all - at least that's what he's told me. So, he created this area to store anything devil-related or to have a little comfort for his sake." She opened a door to reveal a natural-looking waterfall and pool.

"Is there water in the Demon World?"

"I don't think so but Sparda loves a warm bath."

"It is the best thing you humans have that we do not." They turned to see the devil smiling, "I was wary when I was first confronted with human bathing but I have come to love it. When I was a nestling, my mother would clean myself and my sister in the manner appropriate for devils."

"How?" Lady asked curiously.

He shrugged, "Licking. Just as the animals you call cats do. As you can imagine, molton lava and pools of tortured souls do not provide good basis for bathing." He smiled more, "But enough of that, is there something you needed down here?"

"I was just showing her the orbs and devil stars, Sparda," Eva explained, "She is used to human healing after all."

"Ah, they are behind this door." He opened a door across from the waterfall room. Inside was a mountain of different coloured orbs, "Each of them has a different purpose but all are quite useful. Depending on the use, some can be utilized by humans."

"Which ones?" Lady asked.

"Yellow and blue. I think the green stars can be used by humans as well but, since the effects are not as noticeable when you are not looking, I cannot be sure."

"What are the uses?"

"The yellow revives one from death, but only if it is used within an instant of the death; the blue lengthens life - it is similair to the yellow, only the effects happen while still living. The green heals wounds. Normally, higher level devils like myself do not use them often because our own healing energies are sufficient. The stars will activate or increase those powers. Vergil has had to use them more than myself because he is half-devil."

"Alright. I think I understand."

He nodded with a smile.

Suddenly, a body tumbled down the stairs, "Oww..."

Sparda laughed softly, "Are you badly injured, Dante?"

"Vergil threw me down the steps!" he cried out.

"You deserved it," called a cool voice from the upper floor.

"Cheater!"

Lady looked out to see Dante on his back with his clothes ripped and torn with red coming from more than the original dye.

He lifted himself up a little, "Oh, hey Lady! What's up?"

"You okay?" she asked, "I've never seen you _that _bad."

"I'm okay." He tried to get up and failed, "Oof!"

Eva tossed him a rather large star, "Here, sweetheart."

"Thanks mom." He held the star against his stomach. It dissolved into his skin and gave him the energy to get up in one of acrobatic displays involving wildly swinging his legs.

"How was the battle, son?" Sparda asked with an amused smile.

"Awesome! We went until we almost collapsed!"

"Oh really?"

"Yep. We made sure we had gold orbs and devil stars before though." He got a sheepish look, "You're kinda scary when your mad."

"Devil's disipline, Dante," Eva smiled, "You deserved it."

"Well, maybe, but I didn't even see gramps that pissed before and he was mad at me for breathing!"

"Father, we have a guest." Vergil came down the stairs with a red-haired woman.

"Hello," Sparda greeted with a wary tone, "Who might you be?"

"I am Lucia," the woman said with an accent, "and I have a message from Matier, Dark Knight Sparda."

**My schedule has taken a change between work and school. Look for my updates between Tuesdays to Thursdays.**


	18. Two Fronts

**Note: For Agrosax here, I browsed some forums to see theories on his rise and fall of power. Not much there XD**

**XVII**

_**Sparda Manor**_

Dante studied Lucia as she spoke. She seemed different somehow. He was getting the impression that she wasn't human or demon but also not a half-devil or whatever the Oracles were. She was pretty though. He didn't know hair could get that shade of red.

"Lately," she spoke, "a lot of murders have been occuring on Dumary Island. Mostly around Uroboros City, but they have started occuring near Vie De Marli."

"Why involve Sparda for murders?" Eva asked.

"They are not simple murders. The victims are mutilated in bizarre rituals."

"Rituals?" Vergil asked quickly, "Are old demonic symbols used? And are they all placed in a larger circle?"

She looked at him with a confused expression, "How...did you know that?"

"The same stuff is happening here," Dante said, "How long has this shit happened?"

"Language Dante," Eva and Sparda chided quietly.

"The murders have been happening for two months now," Lucia answered.

"About the same amount of time it has here," Eva reflected softly, "A double casting of one ritual?"

"So it would seem," Sparda said softly, "Two gates opening..."

"Matier doesn't know about the murders here," Lucia said slowly.

Dante leaned back, "So, what? Split up?"

"That seems the most beneficial solution," Sparda said, "Lucia, was it? Tell me the extent of the situation in Dumary Island."

"Many powerful demons have come through portals. They're not common either. Matier believes they are the minions of Argosax."

"Argosax?"

"Who's Argosax, dad?" Dante asked.

"He was infrequently worshipped by the people of Dumary island. I prevented him from appearing in the human world and sealed him away with four relics called Arcana. The residents of Vie De Marli fought alongside me and I entrusted their safe keeping of the Arcana to them."

"We know the person comitting the murders," Lucia said, returning the conversation to the task at hand, "He is the president of Uroboros. A man named Arius. He frequently uses demons and demonic power."

Eva looked at Dante, "You said an Oracle told you a human made a deal with a demon?"

He nodded.

"Then perhaps Arius made a deal with Agrosax?"

"I would not put it passed Agrosax to deal with humans," Sparda said, "He was a ruler of the demon world once. Before Mundus. I do not know the details of how Mundus came to rule however. Agrosax is not a servant to him and has been known to act on his own, especially with a cult of human worshippers." He rubbed his chin throughtfully, "His power is different from Mundus' in the sense of their harnessing techneques. I recall Agrosax would gather peices of defeated demons to create a large mass that would attack from multiple points in the same manner the defeated demons did."

"Freaky," Dante commented.

"So, what is the course of action, father?" Vergil asked, "We cannot allow either ritual to reach completion."

"Very true," Sparda agreed, "...It seems we shall have to split up. I will take Dante to Vie De Marli and you shall stay here with your mother and Lady."

"Are you sure, father?"

"Your speed is better used here and your mother's contacts will only answer to her."

Eva cast a look at Sparda but didn't say anything.

"Why can't I stay here instead?" Dante asked, "I owe Arkham a stab."

"Because I said so," Sparda replied, "We shall leave in a few days with Lucia." He turned to Vergil and Eva, "Continue looking for information here. If I learn anything, I shall contact you."

_**On Route to Vie De Marli**_

Dante was still upset about being taken away from following Arkham. He hated the fact that he didn't know what the insane man was doing and knowing that Vergil will have a crack at him first was just insult to injury.

"Don't sulk, Dante," Sparda said, reading an ancient-looking book.

"Bite me," he replied, sinking in the plane seat beside him.

He growled, a small pulse of power hitting the red Sparda's senses.

He growled back, but couldn't suppress the slight shiver that ran up his spine.

Lucia shifted uncomfortable from the exchange. They were in Sparda's private plane so the tention between father and son was thick.

"Tell me, Lucia," Sparda conversed with a sigh, "How has the people of Vie De Marli been?"

"Most families have had children who moved to bigger cities. Not many want to stay near Uroboros. Especially with all that's going on."

"Understandable. Has this Arius individual targetted the village?"

"Not directly, but some from the village have gone missing. We think they may be among the victims used in the rituals."

"I see...and are you a decendent of the ones I fought alongside?"

"Matier told me I was. I have no memory of my childhood."

"Interesting."

"Why?"

"I am just curious. Living for such a long time, I find amusement in looking for traits passed down through family lines."

Dante let out a little snort but smiled a little. They were near their destination and he began to feel old devil magic. He recognized traces of Sparda's power but they felt stale. He was easily able to seperate these old traces from what was coming off of devil beside him. He also felt some dark and menacing. Tensing a little, he realized he couldn't tell what was old and what was new from the other thing.

"Dante?" Sparda's voice broke through, "Have you heard a word I said?"

"Huh?" He turned, "What?"

He sighed, "I understand that you are upset but that is no excuse to outright ignore everything I say."

"I wasn't ignoring you. I was just...thinking about stuff."

"Are you worried about your friend?"

"Who, Lady? Nah. She's been fighting demons with me since the first time Arkham tried to sacrifice Kalina...the prick."

"Language."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, dad, but he tried to kill me too!"

"Even as young as you were, he would have found it very difficult to kill you."

"You're all heart, you know that?"

He smirked.

Dante smiled a little, rubbing his head. The tension eased a little before he looked down, "Hey dad, what happens if we don't stop this guy?"

The older devil sighed and cleaned his monocle, "Then we prepare for war. I have no doubt legions of demons shall burst forth."

"Sounds like fun."

"How so?"

"Family bonding time! Nothing like hacking and slashing nasty bad guys."

Sparda raised an eyebrow in amusement, "You are so much like me in my youth. I do not know if I should be proud or worried."

He grinned and twirled Ebony on his finger, "Hey, you gotta enjoy life where you can. Plus, it's all your fault I have so much fun in the family business."

A chuckle, "Is it now?"

"Yep, and-"

Suddenly, an explosion heaved the plane to the left, knocking it's passengers from their seats.

"What the hell!"

"A spell?" Sparda muttered, getting up and looking out the window.

Dante slipped as the plane heaved again before being thrown against the cabin wall, "Ow!"

"The wing has been hit!" Lucia cried out.

Sparda growled and grabbed them both under his arms, "Hold on!" Morphing into his demonic form, he kicked open the cabin door and leapt out.

Dante let out a cry of surprise along with Lucia but felt the thrill in the rush of air before Sparda spread his wings and eased their plummet into a heavy landing on the ground.

"Whew!" Dante whistled as he sat down, "Head rush!"

Sparda turned to watch the plane crash into a mountainside, "Someone does not want me here..."

"No kiddin'." He spread out his hand and Rebellion flew from the wreckage, "So, where are we?"

"A short distance from Vie De Marli," Lucia answered, "Maybe a couple hours of walking."

"Ah man," he hopped up and shealthed Rebellion over his shoulder, "Guess we better get going. Mom'll be pissed if dad doesn't call soon."

Sparda chuckled, eyes still on the wreckage as the smoke curled upward toward the sunlit sky.

"C'mon dad. Let's go."

He turned, reverting to his human form and followed the other two toward Vie De Marli.

* * *

_**Sparda Manor**_

Vergil combined what notes they had with what Lucia left behind. The general ritual was the same but the execution methods were different. The one from Vie De Marli seemed hesitant to get his hands too dirty while Arkham had no problem with it.

He sighed a little, _Dante better not get himself into trouble._

"Deep in thought?"

He turned and beheld Lady, "Oh, hello. Is there something you need?" He hadn't talked with her much and had no true interest. She was Dante's friend, not his.

"Just wondering if you need any help at all."

"No, I am fine." He turned away, "Mother is usually practicing her targetting at this time. You seem to have the same flair for guns. Why don't you practice with her?"

"O...kay..." She left.

He resumed his analysis of the murders. It seemed too coincedental for two humans to make deals with devils that involved the same ancient ritual and sacrifices. There was a mastermind behind this with the two dealing devils carrying out general duty. Mostly likely Mundus but the generals must be formidable as well.

_Father's guess of Agrosax in Vie De Marli is probably correct_, he thought, _but who could be here..._He thought of the adversaries Sparda told him about before, _Phantom? No, Father said he was not intelligent...Perhaps Griffon? Bolverk? No..._He stilled as a thought occurred to him, _What about Grandfather? He's powerful...and highly respected even after Father defected...It makes the most sense...it would devestate father too..._ He sighed again and set about looking for any books of Sparda's father.

It was slow going. The Dark Knight's father was good at being a mastermind behind the scenes but there was not much else on him in any records Sparda managed to aquire. A faceless strategist and a proud worrier. Truly, Vergil expected no less.

"Vergil?"

He turned, "Hello Mother. Are you finished training?"

"For now. What is this I hear about you being cold with Lady?"

"Cold? I'm not cold."

"You can be without meaning to."

He thought about it, then shrugged, "She's Dante's friend. He knows her better."

"You'll get to know her if you spoke to her a little more."

"I suppose so."

She smiled a little and looked at the books he had laid out, "So, find anything out?"

"I was looking into which devils could have made the deals with the humans doing this."

"Oh?"

"I think...I think the one Arkham dealed with may have been Grandfather."

"You're grandfather? What makes you think that?"

"It's more of a feeling, mother. No other would be intelligent enough to do this."

"I suppose you're right." She sighed, "This would really hurt your father if that was true. Even being a demon and having been cast out by his family entirely, he still has some attachment to them."

"Do you think father was wise in taking Dante to deal with Agrosax?"

She chuckled a little, "Maybe not but it was his decision."

"Why would he make that choice? Dante knows Arkham better than anything at Vie De Marli."

"He's worried Vergil. He's been watching your brother closely for something, but he won't tell me what it is."

"Hmph."

"Think of it this way, Sparda is confident in your development and your power as a devil. He's worried about Dante."

"Like always."

She chuckled, "Yes. He trusts you to be the devil of the house here."

He smiled a little, feeling good after thinking about it that way.

She patted his arm, "Don't let his attention on Dante bring you down. He's very proud of you and your power."

"Thank you mother."

"Now come on. With Dante out of the house, we should be able to have a pizza-free night."

**Cold Vergil ;P**


	19. Meeting the Family

**Sorry about missing an update everyone! I bought the Devil May Cry HD Collection for the PS3 and went a little nuts. My bad!**

**Note: The first explosion in this chapter happened in DMC2. I tweaked it a tad to include Sparda and a younger Dante but I did not create the event.**

**XVIII**

_**Vie De Marli**_

Dante looked at the buildings as they walked down the cobblestone streets. It was like something out of some old school horror movie. Not only were the buildings built like they were out of the earlier colonial days, but they were starting to warp and twist.

"Hey dad," he pipped up, "this isn't natural, right?"

"No," Sparda answered from in front of him, "The gathering energies from the other world are starting to bend and weaken the line between there and here."

"Huh. Creepy."

"I imagine you can feel the energies yourself."

"Well, I feel kinda funny. Feels like my bones are vibrating."

"As a half-devil, these energies would still feel slightly alien to you. If I had to guess, this will not feel natural to you until you pass a few more decades."

"Great..."

"Matier will be waiting in the house against the cliffside," Lucia said.

Dante laces his fingers behind his head, "So, do you _know_ this Matier, dad? Or is she just a decendent of someone?"

"I know her," he replied, "and she knows you and Vergil. She was at your birthing."

He made a face, "So she saw Verge and me all covered in blood and crap?"

Amusement entered his voice, "Indeed, she did. Your mother and I could not risk a normal, _human_ birthing, but neither could a devil birthing be made so I improvised and had Matier help."

"Huh...do these Vie De Marli people know a lot about devil stuff like that?"

"Only Matier really does now," Lucia explained, "The oldest apart from her know a little but that is about it."

"Do the younger people here have any interest?" Sparda asked.

"Not many."

They walked up the street toward a cozy little cottage. It looked nice but Dante couldn't picture Sparda ever living in something like that. The older devil seemed to prefer fortress-like accomadations.

Suddenly, a pulse hit Dante's senses, making him stop. Neither Sparda or Lucia appeared to have felt it and kept walking.

_What..._

* * *

Sparda turned as he felt Dante's rise in power. His son's eyes were already red and he was watching everything with a focused expression. It looked as though he had felt a threat.

"Dante?" he asked calmly, "Is everything alright?"

His voice was starting to echo, "There's..." His eyes widened, "Look out!" He tackled them with unnatural speed just as a massive wave of demonic power tore apart Matier's home. Sparda lost his bearings as the unexpected wave coupled with Dante's rising energy entered his senses. When he managed to regain them, he found himself down the street with Lucia and Dante, well out of the danger area. Dante's eyes were still red but his power was dropping again.

"Your senses are getting sharper," he praised, "You are sensitive to violent powers, it seems."

"I guess...I just kinda knew what was happening."

"Is Matier still down there?" Lucia asked.

"Let's go see."

Sparda lead them down toward the massive creater that remained of Matier's home.

"Matier?" Lucia called, "Matier?"

"I'm right here, Lucia," an elderly woman Sparda recognized walked up some stairs and looked over at her old home, "Well, that is quite a mess they've made, isn't it?"

Lucia let out a relieved sigh as Matier turned.

"Oh? You have arrived Sparda, and you brought a son?" She examined Dante, "By the red, I see this is the lost one?"

"Yes," Sparda smiled, "he found his way back to us with the help of my twin."

"Ah, I have yet to meet her but you speak of her often. Is she a good demon, son of Sparda?"

"Uh, yeah," Dante shrugged, "She kept me safe and freed me from Mundus."

"That is good."

Sparda put a hand on her shoulder, "Matier, we should go to a safe place. Somewhere away from here. It is obvious someone is trying to kill you."

"Do not worry, Sparda. Arius will not succeed in killing us here. We've seen worse than him."

He smiled, "Yes, of course."

She slowly sat on a rock, "Now, has Lucia told you what has happened?"

"Yes and I am concerned. The same has been happening near my home with the human responsible managing to put blame on my son here."

"Ah, I see. Then Mundus is indeed behind all of this. He is attacking in two places."

"Two fronts, yes. Effectively splitting my attentions. Lucia said you suspected Agrosax."

"Yes. The Arcana have disappeared from their resting places...Well, all except for mine." She held up an intricate staff, "With the extra seal, he will have a hard time coming into the human world."

"Indeed. So, the human -Arius you said?- may be seeking to release him...I had never thought Agrosax would submit himself to Mundus' service."

"Perhaps he is only using Mundus in order to serve his own goals," Lucia suggested, "Once the demons are in this world, they only need to seek and destroy."

"How very true."

"So, what's the plan?" Dante asked, "Wait until the next attack?"

"For now, keep the last Arcana in our possession and fortify this island. It may become a battlefield."

"We will pray to our Gods," Matier nodded, "and prepare to fight alongside you as our ancestors did."

"Thank you."

**Later...**

Sparda watched as Dante flopped himself down on a bed. His sensitivity to otherworldly powers was impressive. He assumed the cause to be his time in the Demon World at a young age. Perhaps Freyja had something to do with it as well. She was talented when it came to training nestlings.

"Yo, dad," Dante pipped up, "how many demon kings did you piss off anyway?"

He smiled, "Just the two."

He whistled, "And people wonder why I'm always rebelling."

Sparda laughed, "I see your point." He sat beside him, "I have not had the chance to ask. What happened to you before you reunited with us?"

He shrugged, "I told you. Met Mundus and Gramps, Aunt Freyja freed me, and I lived on the street."

"Details Dante. I want to know everything that happened."

"...All right..."

* * *

**Flashback...**

Dante blinked open his eyes, feeling heat all around him but a different heat from what of he felt of the fire that consumed his home. His vision was blurry but he was aware that someone or something was above him. Rubbing his eyes, he shifted and realized he was being held as well.

"Hello," a rumbled but feminine voice greeted, "and what is your name?"

He looked up again and blinked. Horns, red eyes, purple scales, insect wings...but a female body, "Dante...are you daddy's sister?"

What could pass for a smile crossed the demoness' face, "You are a smart one. Yes. I am, what human's call, your aunt. My name is Freyja."

"Frayja?"

What Dante hoped was a laugh escaped her, "Close enough."

"Enough," boomed a voice, making the little devil jump. A large statue of a three-eyed man sat in front of him. He realized he was in a massive throne room. White marble was all around them with light coming in through large windows. The light seemed to be sunlight but he doubted it actually was.

"Master Mundus," Freyja bowed.

"Freyja," he commanded, "you shall watch over Sparda's spawn. While your father will oversee his training."

"Yes, Master." Her's and another voice answered. Dante looked over to see a tall, imposing devil standing beside them. He was shrouded in dark power, preventing Dante's young eyes from making out any features other than his red eyes.

Mundus directed his attention to the other devil, "Sparda's actions are a stain upon our kind. Make sure his son does not follow the same path."

The devil bowed, "Of course." His eyes turned to Dante and increased in intensity. He flinched back, earning a growl from his grandfather, "Pathetic worm. Mating with a human to produce..._this_."

Insult understood, Dante growled back a challenge.

Freyja tensed and pulled him back as her father made to swipe at him. She hissed, "Show some respect Dante!"

"No! He doesn't deserve it! And neither does big three-eye there!" He pointed at Mundus

She jumped, one of her claws covering his mouth, "HUSH!"

A deep laughter filled the room, making it's occupants turn to look at Mundus. Amusement was on his voice, "Sparda's fight has passed into his son. This will prove...amusing."

**End flashback...**

Dante inspected Ebony, "After that, Aunt Freyja gave me an earful about 'respecting more powerful devils' and Gramps started training me."

Sparda was smirking, "I cannot believe you openly growled at my father."

"Hey, he insulted my dad, my mom, and me! I wasn't just gonna let that slide!"

He chuckled, "You are such a foolishly headstrong nestling. No demonic powers awakened within you and you challenged Mundus and one of his most skilled generals within minutes of meeting them."

He grinned, showing teeth, "Didn't you say you were wild when you were young? I take after my daddy."

He sighed, "I am not going to tell your mother about this. She will blame it on uncontrollable devil blood." He smiled warmly at Dante, "But I am a little proud you possess some fight - even if it is misdirected. How long did you train for?"

"Not long. Gramps really didn't like me so he was extra hard. Aunt Freyja didn't like it but she said she wasn't powerful enough to stop him by force so she looked up some way to open a portal to the Human World and pushed me through. I'm not sure what story she would have told to explain what happened."

His smile faded, "I fear there would have been no story that would have good enough for her to avoid punishment..."

"Do you think she's...dead?"

"No. Freyja was a strong devil before I rebelled and our brood is among the most respected. She would still have some use...A stern warning would have been the extent of her punishment."

"I hope so..."

He patted his shoulder, "You care about her that much?"

"Of course! She's family! She took care of me...Your dad can go suck an egg though."

He laughed, "Well said."

A knock came to the door and Lucia looked in, "Sparda, the sun is going down. Matier has found the next area for the ritual."

"Cool," Dante grinned, spinning his gun, "Time for some father-son bonding. Ready dad?"

Sparda stood, "Yes. Perhaps there will be a demon I can defeat for a devil arm. I forgot to bring one."

"Geez, I remembered Rebellion and my girls."

"My attention was elsewhere," he replied with some annoyance, "Come along now."

Lucia lead them toward an open crossway in Vie De Marli. Any who may have been inhabiting the surrounding buildings had already been evacuated and given refuge in new homes set up for defense and protected by Sparda's power. It proved a good opportunity to show Dante proper warding skills.

"We can hide in the shadows," Lucia whispered, pointing to an area off to the side.

They took up positions and settled in to wait. It was going to be a long night, to be sure. Dante felt uneasy. He knew something big was about to go down and it wasn't going to end well.

_Arkham better not be doing anything yet_, he thought, _And Vergil better not let anything happen to Lady..._

His thoughts were interuptted by a wave of demonic power. A power he recognized. It blew apart the homes and their hidding places, casting the three to the ground and under rock. Dante staggered to his feet, somehow managing to keep himself fully conscious. He looked over at Sparda and Lucia. Sparda was struggling to hold onto the waking world but that wasn't what brought Dante's mind to full focus...

It was the darkness-covered devil that raised a sword above his throat.

**I got some asking me to do a bit with a child Dante meeting Mundus. I imagine that would be exactly how it went. ^_^**


	20. Convenient Distractions

**I'm having trouble coming up with a name for Sparda's father...anyone have any suggestions? I'm assuming it's getting tiring just reading my description of 'Sparda's father,' 'the devil,' or 'Gramps.' Lol. Evidence being how much I mention him in this chapter .**

**Oh, and bold italic words are devil tongue.**

**XIX**

_**Vie De Marli**_

Ivory fired at the blade above Sparda's throat, casting it out of the devil's claws. Red eyes watched the blade hit the ground calmly before turning to Dante. He kept Ivory aimed and emitted a low growl.

"So," the devil rumbled, "you found your way back to Sparda."

"You're just as ugly as ever, Gramps." His voice remained hard, "Even with that puff of smoke around you."

"My nestling did not teach you manners, but no matter." He casually retrieved his sword, "I knew Freyja betrayed our Master by letting you free. You were never bold enough to venture close to a teleporting vanguard."

His eyes widened, "What did you do to her!"

"Our Master punished her appropriately and then I punished her in my own way." He chuckled darkly, "Why? Does that upset you?"

He snarled, "You bastard!"

"So it does upset you. Interesting."

"She better not be hurt, or I'll-"

"You shall what, nestling? You are not a full demon and you shall never attain true power. You cannot hope to defeat me."

"Like Hell I won't."

He laughed, "You have fire still. You were never one to ignore a challenge. If only you had been born from a true devil."

"Like who? You?" A grinned crossed his face, "Cause last I checked, dad beat _two_ demon kings and Aunt Freyja made sure you and Mundus couldn't touch me."

He growled.

"I'd say, you're a lowsy devil. You can't even make sure none of your kids defy _Master Mundus_. Kinda pathetic, isn't it?"

The darkness intensified around the devil, "You worthless insect!"

"What does that make you? You keep hiding behind that little cloud of yours. Why don't you face me like devil!"

He roared and surged forward. Dante drew Rebellion and managed to block just in time. The clang of the swords was loud enough to make him wince but he kept both hands on Rebellion's hilt, dropping his gun onto the ground. There was a lot of power behind the strike...but that's what made it thrilling.

He grinned, freely drawing on his inherited power, and leaped into battle. He used the strength of the attack and the leverage he had against the taller devil to push him back.

He laughed, "I can already tell, this is going to be one Hell of a party!" Entering a battle stance he picked up from Sparda, he started taunting his opponent, "Well, come on. Let's see what you can do!"

Another surge, making Dante dodge with all the speed as he could muster. He didn't have Vergil's ability to maintain a high speed for long but he could reach the same level, if only for a moment.

However, his opponent had much more experience and a greater amount of power at his disposal. Rebellion was only just able to parry most of the blows directed at it. Dante couldn't find himself truly able to strike out any hits of his own until his grandfather was able to calm down enough to regain some of his worrier's focus. He was taking far more damage than he was able to inflict.

Their blades locked together, leaving their faces close. He growled, "Come on, that all you got?"

The response came in the form of a snarl, "As soon as I finish with you, your twin and mother will welcome death at the end of my blade."

His grin faded. The thought of losing his family a second time took all amusement out of this challenge.

"If this is your power, I can only imagine how low your twin's power level is. He should not be hard to deal with and a swift strike will end the life of the human worm of a mother."

He nearly roared, "You won't get to battle Vergil or my mother! Ya know why? Because I'm going to kill you first!"

* * *

He felt rage. Rage from one of the devilkind...no two of the devilkind. They were nearby and...familiar. He lifted his head slowly. Lucia was unconscious beside him with rubble all around her.

_Another explosion?_ he thought.

A metallic collision drew his attention. He looked toward the sound, his mind slowly registering the sight. Two worriers fighting with all they had...and all their primal emotion. Dante's body was rapidly transforming into that of a devil's, and his opponent was...

"Father..."

It had been a long time since Sparda had seen Mundus' most experienced general. The feel of his honed power still sent shivers through his soul and Dante was the one fighting him.

He sat up slowly and struggled to study the battle. His father had little of his usual battle form and precision. He struck against Dante with anger and bloodlust. This was both a blessing and a curse. He was far from a berserker devil but still strong enough to do serious damage to his opponent in this state.

Dante was no better. He was already drawing entirely on his power and close to fully awaking his devil form. All his energy was focused on taking out the devil in front of him. He was even landing successful hits. For a brief moment, Sparda felt pride at the display.

Rebellion cut through what remained of a building, the eyes on the hilt beginning to glow as it's owner's blood dripped onto it. Dante was nearly there. He needed help...so why couldn't Sparda move?

Another building went down, it's debris flying passed him and Lucia. He didn't even flinch.

_What am I doing?_ he thought, _Why am I just sitting here? My son needs me...and my body will not move._

Dante was covered in his own blood, wounds everywhere and clothes torn. He was panting and losing strength. The fight was at a level he wasn't ready for.

_His wounds are not healing...But at the power level he has risen to, he should have no trouble healing._

The combatants jumped back from each other, glaring and panting. At a quick glance, it looked like they may have had enough. He recognized the look on Dante's face, however. He was challenging another attack.

It quickly came. He dodged and countered with a downward strike (or helm breaker, as he named it) but it was slow and not as effective as it should have been.

_His power is lowering. Why?_

He looked at Dante's form and actions. He wasn't the type to let go of rage easily. He was like that when he was a child, it made sense the feeling would intensify as he grew older. He shouldn't be failing in the heat of battle. Something was pulling him back. Did he realize the danger he was in and fear was pulling him back? He narrowed his eyes. Or was someone else acting here?

A flash of a third power came from the battle. One he recognized. It lasted only a short moment and came from Dante.

He began to see the worry rise in Dante's eyes. He was aware of his own peril. Sparda straightened. Vergil. He had felt his twin's peril through their bond and was pulling him back. He had marvelled at the connections between twins, be they human or devil, and the one between his sons was getting stronger by the moment.

A stab with a dark sword, going right through the red devil.

_No!_

Dante grabbed the blade, slowly looking up at his killer's face. The blade was pulled out violently, forcing blood to shoot from the wound and paint the ground. Time slowed as he began to fall backwards. Sparda's eyes took in every detail; the way Dante's hair covered his eyes in the fall, the angle his back arched at with the force of the blade's withdrawal, and the splurt of blood that had travelled up through his throat to come out of his mouth.

_I WILL NOT LOSE MY SON AGAIN!_ Sparda charged foward, morphing into his true form and attacked his father. In his fury and desperation, he couldn't see what he was doing. He just slashed and attacked the one trying to take his son from him.

"Dad..." a voice softly echoed.

_**Never again! Never again!**_

"Dad!"

_**Enemy will not take my nestling!**_

"DAD!" Arms wrapped around him, "STOP!"

He froze, _Warm...soft...human...nestling..._He turned and embraced the bloody Dante.

"Whoa! Dad-"

_**Nestling...Endurance...**_

"Huh?"

He didn't register anything beyond that. Just the nestling he protected. The nestling he couldn't bare to lose again, _**Never again. Never again.**_

"It's alright, dad..."

"Oh no!" Lucia's voice rang out.

The two turned to see another completed ritual safely out of the battle zone.

"What?" Dante yelled, "B-But I didn't even feel-"

"You would not have," Sparda cut in, "Your battle with my father would have masked anything that could have been felt from that ritual."

"Is that true?" Lucia asked, "These rituals are very powerful."

"You were unconcious for most of the battle, Lucia. You can trust me when I tell you it was fierce and powerful. A third party had to intervene before it went too far."

He heard Dante kick a stone absently.

"At any rate, we should return to our base and inform Matier of what has occurred." He looked at his son. The wound was only in his ribs. It seemed Dante was able to move just enough to prevent a fatal stab. It might have been Vergil's intervention as well. Sparda searched his pockets for a devil star and handed it to him, "Take this."

"Thanks." He held the star against his wound until it disolved and healed it.

"I knew this woman," Lucia said softly. She was kneeling beside the circle, "She had children and a husband."

He patted her shoulder, "I imagine she would want them safe, Lucia. Now come. I must speak with Matier on how to deal with this mess."

Dante picked up Ivory as they passed, "Are you okay, Pops?"

"I am fine, Dante." He continued on, struggling to keep his rage down. Eva told him of the human concept of a bad day. He just experienced it firsthand.

**Review please! Sorry it's a little short. My word program is ancient and keeps crashing when I attempt to write. Didn't want to test my luck.**


	21. Father and Family, Huh?

**I apologize for my sparatic updating. I've started a new online course and it's eating into my time. Thanks to those who gave me suggestions for Grandpa Sparda's name ^^**

**XX**

_**Sparda Safe House**_

Dante quietly lay in his bed. Now that he had cooled down and took time to process what had happened, he was a little shaken. He had never really thought about how strong his grandfather could really be, but he still challenged him. After the insults, it was a matter of pride and damn the consequences.

_Maybe that's what got Pops so quiet_, he thought. Sparda had been entirely withdrawn since the battle. He gave one-word answers and barely looked at his son. At least, when he thought Dante was watching.

Even as he pretended to sleep, he could feel Sparda's eyes on the back of his head. He tried to ignore it but it was impossible. Devil eyes, even if they were his father's, had a way of getting into your soul.

He nearly jumped when he felt the bed dip. A gentle hand touched his head, _**Nestling... Forgive me...**_

_Alright_, he thought, _that's it_. He rolled over and looked up at Sparda.

The older devil recoilled a little in surprise.

"What's wrong? You've been moping since I fought with Gramps."

He sighed.

"C'mon. You can tell me."

Sparda sat back and looked to the side.

"It can't be that bad."

"I failed you..."

"Failed me? How? And what's with all these freaking apologies?"

"I did not move until you were dealt a near fatal blow. It was only by luck that you did not die from it...and then you saw me at my worst."

He sombered a little. Sparda stood and walked to the window. The moonlight, while once had made Sparda look like a soft father to a five year old son, now made him a harsh worrior. His eyes weren't red but possessed a darkness that made even Dante Sparda remain silent.

Sparda took in a breath, "When I was much younger and rebellious, I lived for the thrill of battle and the hunt. I did not believe I could be defeated by any devil - except for one."

"...Grandpa?"

"Yes. I looked up to him and saw him as a true father and devil. Someone I needed to become...and someone who I could count as an ally...I do not know if you or Vergil have felt the same but the feel of a father's power to a nestling can be a freightening experience. Especially is the nestling is old enough to feel the power properly."

"Huh?"

A slight breath of annoyance left him, "It is possible for some to be able to sense how properly trained or truly powerful another devil is, or will be, if close enough. This is easiest for a nestling when looking at a parent. I spent many years close to my father. I know his power well."

"So, what's the problem with that?"

"...I betrayed my kind, Dante. Naturally, I was rejected by my own family after that...I thought I would never come in contact with him after I sealed the worlds. To feel his power again, to see the one I looked to so often and who cast me out so violently. It was almost too much to bare."

Dante looked down a little.

"I froze and watched you fight him. I could see you were in danger, even before Vergil started pulling you back, and I did nothing. I nearly let you die."

"It's all right, Pops. Nothing bad happened - well, nothing really bad."

He growled, "That is not the point."

"Everyone makes mistakes?"

He growled again, this time looking sidelong at him.

"Well, what do you want me to say? I don't blame you! And nothing you say is gonna make me, so drop it! You don't have to be Mr. Big Demon _all_ the time, ya know."

He closed his eyes briefly before turning and leaving without a word.

"Tch...Guess Mundus grabbing me changed dad a bit more than mom said it did..." He waited for a moment, thinking over what was said, _If dad can feel Gramps' power like that..._ He tried it himself and found he could sense Sparda. It was a familiar feel and a comforting one to him. Faintly reminded him of when he was a child and being comforted after a nightmare. He couldn't imagine being afraid of feeling that power again.

Dante jumped out of the bed and headed for the window, opening it and climbing out. It felt like Sparda was heading to the top of the building. He could hear him talking with someone, "He is just a nestling. He could not understand yet."

"You underestimate him, Sparda," Matier's voice answered, "Dante is stronger and smarter than you think. He is merely more human."

"He did take a lot after Eva..."

"I know it is not Dante your mind is troubled with."

A heavy sigh.

"You were in shock."

"I was trained as a worrior," he answered defensively, "Emotions that could hinder me in battle should not effect me."

"You were rejected by a parent you held in high respect. Your reaction to this is very human."

A dismissive tone entered his voice, "Is it now?"

"Do not let this worry you. Just care for your family."

Silence answered her.

"Ah...so that is not what truly concerns you. What you are worried about is seeing what a loving father can become to the eyes of it's child. You are afraid Dante and Vergil will see you someday as you saw your father."

Dante frowned.

"You will not become that Sparda. Evil does not worry about being good, they say."

A slightly amused chuckle, "Yes, I have heard that before."

"If it makes you feel better, Eva would never allow you to become your father. Your instincts chose her as a mate for a reason."

"That is true." The smile that entered Sparda's voice made Dante relaxed.

_Maybe I should get mom on the phone_, he thought, _She can straighten him out._ He climbed back into the window and picked up the phone.

Vergil was the one to answer, "Hello?"

"Hey Verge. Is mom around?"

"She took Lady for a girl's night out."

"Bummer. I was hoping she could yell at dad. He's been all moppy."

"With a son like you, he has reason to be."

"Hey!"

"What made you think you could actually win that fight you were in? That opponent was pushing you to your death."

"I was holding my own..."

"Very unlikely. I had to pull you back. Who were you fighting?"

"...Gramps."

"You were fighting our grandfather! Are you mad!"

"He started it!"

"This, I have to hear."

"He said he was gonna kill mom and you...I got mad and-"

"And started taunting him like usual so he would attack you with all his power." A sigh, "Forget father, when I tell mother this, _you_ are going die."

"Aww c'mon...You don't _have_ to tell her..."

"She'll know either way, Dante," he replied drily, "We were in the middle of dinner when I felt you try to kill yourself through combat. The pain coming over our link was enough to make me convulse." He snorted, "Trust you to get me in trouble even with the number of miles between us."

"Yeah, yeah...thanks big bro, for pulling me back."

"...Don't make me regret saving your ass."

He smirked a little, "Awww, is that love I hear? Vergil woooves his wittle bwother."

"I'm hanging up now." A click followed.

Dante laughed and hung up the phone, now in a good mood. Although some part of him was nervous about the future death-by-scolding he was sure to get from Eva.

"Dad'll probably get a good earful too," he mused, putting his hands behind his head.

_**Days Later...**_

"All seems quiet," Lucia said as she stood on top of a roof.

"Yeah," Dante sighed, "Kinda boring, ain't it?"

"Do you always need to fight?"

"Hey, if yoy don't live on the edge, you're taking up too much room."

She smiled a little, "I'm surprised Sparda let you out alone."

He shrugged, "I thought he needed some time alone with my mom." He snickered, remembering how pale his father went when she called with her 'pleasant' tone.

"_Dante, let me speak to your dear father. We have things to discuss."_

_"Sure thing, mom. Hey dad! Mom wants to talk to you about stuff!"_

"You're going to get in trouble for that," Lucia commented, "I haven't even seen Matier with that annoyed of a look."

"He had it coming. I just sped it along a little."

"What do you mean?"

"Mom _knows_ stuff. She finds out everything. I think she was a spy before she met dad. I mean she can take down 'the Legendary Dark Knight' with a single glance!"

She laughed a little, "She did seem like a strong woman when I met her."

"Yep. That's my mom!" He stood proudly, "Longest-living, human devil hunter and the mother of the only half-devils."

She laughed again, "Come on, Dante. We need to keep going if we want to sleep soon."

He followed her as they continued their patrol. His mind drifted to what his father had said to Matier. Regected by someone he loved and respected. He looked up at the moon with a frown, _Father and family, huh?_

* * *

"No, milady, I was not 'moping,'" Sparda sighed, "Dante was exaggerating."

"I know he's the type to do so," she answered with a slight smile, "but I know you, husband."

He sighed again.

"We were in the middle of dinner when Vergil had to 'intervene' as he told us. What happened?"

"Eva, please-"

"Sparda, if you don't tell me, I will get it out of Dante or Vergil. I have experience in interogation and you know it."

He chuckled softly, "Very true, but I do not want to worry you...Did you discover anything on Arkham?"

"Not yet, but Vergil has a theory on who the demon here might be."

"Oh, who?"

"He has a feeling it might be your father."

He stilled.

"He doesn't have any hard proof but he can't think of any other demons that could make this deal. With Arkham's knowledge of demons, he would seek a very powerful one to deal with."

"That is true..."

"I'm sorry, Sparda. I know your family still means a lot to you."

"It is fine, milady. I should have expected this sooner or later. Besides, I have you and our nestlings. Why worry over them when I have that?"

"Our own family is nice but the families we came from are important too. You told me that when my mother died, remember?"

He smiled, "Yes, I remember."

"Good. Keep your chin up. Dante will never let you live it down if he sees you 'moping' again."

"I was not moping."

"It's the way he sees it, dear. Now will you tell me _why_ you were seen that way?"

"...I would like some time to think about it before I speak of it. Please."

"...All right. Take your time, and don't be too hard on Dante. He may be older but he hasn't changed much since he was a child."

"He is strong, but he needs to learn limits. With how wild he is, I fear he may just kill himself for the thrill of a fight."

She sighed softly, "From what I got out of Vergil, it wasn't solely for a thrill."

He stilled.

"I have to go. Vergil's out training and I promised Lady I would show her a few tricks. Good night, Sparda."

"Good night, milady. Sweet dreams." He hung up and rubbed his face, _What can I do..._

A glass touched his arm. He looked up and blinked, "Dante. I did not hear you return."

He shrugged, "I just got back. Drink?" He offered the glass again. The strong scent of liquor reached Sparda's noise.

"I am not a drinker, Dante."

"So? C'mon. You need it after that whole business with Gramps."

He looked at his son's face and softened at the concerned look he saw there. A rare thing to see and it did fill him with some paternal emotion. He smiled a little, "You were eavesdropping on my conversation with Matier."

He forced the glass into his hand, "I wasn't eavesdropping. I was...listening for important demon talk."

He chuckled and looked at the alcohol. Taking a breath, he drank it all at once.

A whistle, "You downed that pretty fast for someone who isn't a drinker."

He smiled as he watched Dante pour him another glass, _This is going to be a long night._

**Review please!**


	22. Pushing

**XXI**

_**Sparda Manor**_

Vergil read the same paragraph for the upteenth time before he let out a sigh and put the book down. His moment of intervention was still weighing on his mind. It wasn't so much that he _had_ to do it, it was expected when having a brother like his, it was what he felt when he did it.

The fear, pain, rage, and panic all rolled into one overwhelming feeling that tore his insides apart. He understood it now. Battling against Mundus' most experienced general and one of the demons in his family line is cause for fear and turmoil. Dante would just never admit to it.

_Why does trouble find him so readily?_ Vergil wondered with a frown, _And trouble of that magnitude? Even if he did do it for us._

He looked over the papers scattered about the table. Arkham's trail was cold and he was laying low. Not even a 'missing person' report had been filed, according to Eva's source in the police force.

_A blessing and a curse all at once. We have time, but we can't track him. With father gone to Vie De Marli, we've lost a way to look for him...I wonder if he has something to do with that insane buffoon..._

"Vergil?"

"Hmm?" He turned, "Yes, mother?"

"Deep in thought?" she asked with a smile.

"I am just sorting through what we know."

"Why don't you take a break? You've been at this for a while."

"Time is of the essence, mother."

"Yes, but you're no good to anyone if you run yourself to death."

He smiled a little, "Maybe I'll take Yamato and practice in the forest."

"Be careful. It's getting dark outside."

"I will, mother." He stood and grabbed his sword, "Did father tell you anything?"

She crossed her arms, "No. He wanted to think on it before talking about it with me. Will _you_ tell me anything?"

"Only that my little brother is a magnet for trouble." He turned and walked out, "Be ready to give him a few hundred shots when you see him again."

He left the house and ran into the forest beyond. He didn't go out when it was near dark a lot. It always made Sparda nervous. Now was his golden chance. Eva wasn't as overprotective in regards to his actions.

The shadows were already gathering more than what was normal for the setting sun, giving a sense of danger to the forest. Demons were sure to hide in them to try to ambush Sparda's son. Vergil gripped Yamato, _Let them try._

He leapt over a fallen tree and landed in a clearing. It was still and there were no animals nearby. He placed his free hand on Yamato's hilt and closed his eyes. Tendrils of darkness touched his senses. He placed himself in a warrior's stillness, using every sense to judge his enemies movements.

There was a modest group and they circled the clearing, cutting off his escape. Their steps were not clumsy, so they had been well trained. No blind attack was coming. It was planned out carefully.

The flap of wings reached Vergil's hearing. An aerial demon of some kind. A good number of them to be precise. A simple number would never be enough to satisfy whoever set this 'ambush' in motion.

He breathed in the smell of demons. Now was the time. He swung Yamato in one smooth motion, cleaving two demons with ease. He opened his eyes to see them as trained warriors. Not the usual drones that had hunted them so far.

"So," he said as he straightened, "the number of rituals has allowed the tacticians and intelligent, trained warriors to come forth. It won't be long until father's work is undone."

They surrounded him in a tight circle with their weapons drawn for attack.

"I have no wish to end your lives, but I also have no intention of dying today. If you leave now, I won't kill you."

The response to his statement was an attack. He dodged and countered with Yamato, taking another down by splitting him in two. The other demons stepped back.

"Unlike my brother, I have been trained by our father all my life. I will retaliate if you attack me."

An older-looking demon stepped forward, "You are obviously skilled, son of Sparda, and have the calm needed of a warrior. However, we fear our employer far more than we fear you or your family."

"I see. Answer one question for me then. Is my grandfather the one who sent you?"

Silence answered him.

He smiled a little, "Very well. Then let us see if any of you can bring down a son of Sparda."

The demons attacked as a group, forcing Vergil to jump high to avoid and slash Yamato into their ranks. A few dodged him and attacked from different directions.

_They're trying to divide my attention_, he thought, using his teleport technique to avoid the danger, _I will have to make speed my advantage and conserve my energies. Simple attacks with Yamato only. There are too many to finish in a show of power. This will take time._

He spun in the air and cut the wings from one of the aerial demons he heard before. A few others shrieked and aimed for him. He used the wingless one as leverage to jump out of the way and land neatly on the other side of the clearing.

He smirked and slowly sheathed his sword, making sure the hilt clicked loudly against its sheath. A number of demons cried out and disintegrated into dust.

The older demon turned to him, "You are in the same class as your father."

"Does that mean you are going to take my offer and leave?" Vergil asked.

"I am afraid not..."

"Then it seems leaving is not an option for you." He unsheathed Yamato again, "Fine. Let's end this. I will not fall to you."

The demons surged forward again. He dodged and killed most with ease but the older one was well trained and experienced. Soon it was left to only the two of them.

Vergil panted slightly. He sustained a number of wounds but they were minor. They wouldn't hinder him for a little while longer. All the same, he felt exhilarated by this fight. It was beyond anything he had faced before. He had been in kill or be killed battles before but only with minor demons. Never with one or more of the Dark Lord's skilled warriors. He could already feel himself instinctively drawing on his energies, which was a first.

_Perhaps this is the feeling Dante is always chasing when we fight_, he mused.

The demon charged forward, feinting to the left before striking. Vergil blocked the attack and countered with a sharp slash on his inner elbow. His attack landed but the demon's scales were hard and didn't receive as much damage as he had hoped. His opponent was able to immediately stab him through his side.

He managed to move enough to make the wound non-lethal and strike hard at his legs. A damaging blow to the knees gave him an opportunity to use the full power of Yamato. He lifted his opponent up into the air and then cast him back across the clearing with a downward stroke.

"Ugh..." Vergil looked down at his wound, putting a hand on it. It was deep and he didn't bring any orbs with him. His other wounds were getting to him now as well. While forcing himself to conserve his energies, he had affected his own healing abilities, _If I let myself heal, I'll decrease my precision and power, but I'll die if I don't heal...I have to risk it, even if he is a powerful enemy._

He let himself heal his wounds, watching as the demon got up and attacked again. With the new wound in his side, he was unable to block as well as before. He tried to ignore the pain but it was too strong. A cry came from his lips as his muscles spasmed in protest of movement.

_Damnit! I can't win like this!_ The first stirrings of panic entered his gut and grew like a disease. He growled, knowing the panic was making him weak but he couldn't stop it. It was growing uncontrollably. He felt as though he was trying to push back a tidal wave.

The other demon jumped after his feelings instantly, seeing the weakness. Vergil parried and leapt back, now on defense and evasion. He was much better at it than Dante but it filled him with rage and fear that he was being pushed back to that.

However, these feelings had another side-effect. Something else was growing inside of him. Something raw, primal, and powerful. In his state, he automatically latched onto it and fed on it.

He leapt into the air to dodge a strike, _This feeling inside of me..._

Yamato's dark power destroyed the ground the demon was standing on.

_It's incredible...  
_

The enemy jumped for him. It was in his territory.

_It's overflowing._

He had to remove it.

_I can't stop it!_

He grinned wildly, tasting the thrill of battle.

_**Is this what nestmate feels?**_

The demon was readying a powerful strike.

_**I must...**_

The sword was coming for him, strong and for his armour.

_**I must kill the enemy!**_

Suddenly, an explosion appeared between the two demons. Vergil struggled to land properly and spun around.

Dante's friend stood there with the large gun she carried. She stopped them. Vergil turned back to the fight. The other demon was gone. He stared at the ravaged forest grown and now-dead trees. The feelings he had inside him was gone. He felt blank...hollow. He had already forgotten what he was feeling. His legs were throbbing from the landing and he had a strange taste for something, but he couldn't figure out what it was for.

"Hey."

He turned again, still crouched.

The woman heaved her gun over her shoulder, "You okay?"

He stared at her for a moment before standing and smoothly sheathing Yamato. He started walking back to the mansion.

"You're welcome."

"Next time, don't interfere."

* * *

Lady watched him walk away. She couldn't figure him out. Why was this son of Sparda so different? So dark and...cold? She wasn't sure exactly what she expected when Dante first told her about his brother. She never really thought about it.

She may have assumed that he would be the same. That there would be two Dantes, as scary as that thought was. But Vergil was...

_He's a demon._

She blinked as that thought came through her mind so bluntly. Was that really it? Was it that simple? Two half-devils and the difference between them was something so common? A simple, human-concept?

Dante Sparda was the human son of his mother and Vergil Sparda was the demon son of his father?

She looked at the battlefield. Even Dante had never caused that much damage. She could even tell what that other demon had caused and what Vergil had. With Dante, it was only pure destruction. Nothing else.

She turned away and began to walk back.

"He is strong."

She stopped and turned, pistol drawn and pointed at the demon.

"He takes a lot more from Sparda than his brother did."

She looked at the wounds Vergil inflicted, which were still slowly closing, "I bet I can kill you as you are."

"You would win that bet. I had not realized he was not awakened."

"Awakened?"

"Some demons don't reach their full power until they make their first devil-trigger. There were rumours that it was the same in half-devils but I had never seen it with my own eyes."

She kept her pistol pointed.

He coughed blood, "But now I have. I pushed a son of Sparda close to awakening. If you hadn't intervened, he would have awakened his devil powers. He was already beginning to fight as a pure demon."

"Why are you telling me this?" The calm tone of her own voice surprised her.

He grinned, long teeth showing, "Watch yourself human. You will need to be as strong as Sparda's mate to survive the coming war." He slid down the tree, and coughed again before his body went still.

She watched as a bright light came from his chest and hover above it before flying off after Vergil. Confused, she turned to look at the body, but it was gone.

_What's going on?_

**Review please.**


End file.
